Top News Stories

Honk for peace and other causes

BY ERIC BAKER
Boomerang Staff Writer

They are there every Friday, whether you want them there or not.

On the corner of Third and Grand, protesters gather every Friday evening from 4:45 to 5:15 to hold signs encouraging drivers to honk for peace. They have other concerns, too, but mainly they want people to know that they care about U.S. policies.

“Maybe it won’t change anything, but at least it reminds us that there is a war going on, and that Bush lied to us,” said Lesley Wischmann, an organizer for Stand Up for Peace. “Anyone that questions that he lied to us at this point just doesn’t pay attention to news.”

Protestors have been doing this since October 2002, when Vice President Dick Cheney came to Laramie for a visit. That core group formed Stand Up for Peace, which constitutes the majority of people at the protest, but anyone is welcome.

Support waxes and wanes depending on the country’s preoccupations, but lately the protestors have noticed a lot more honking.

“As gas prices go up, so does the positive response,” said Wischmann. “The day after the second inaugural was the best response. We had cars honking in every lane of the intersection.”

But there are opponents as well, as members of the group talked about cars driving up on the curb trying to hit them while they protest.

“We get a lot of middle fingers, but not as much as we used to,” said Robert Barton.

At one point during the protest, someone fashioned their own sign and taped it to their car window, driving close to the group so that they could see. It read, “If you don’t like it, move!”

Sixteen protesters were there yesterday, but the number varies. Even in cold weather, the protestors gather, though they don’t always last the half hour in severe cold.

“This is important, especially in the early months of the war, when people felt intimidated to say anything against it,” said Wischmann. “We needed to express our dissent. You were told you were unpatriotic if you didn’t support the war, but we don’t feel that way.

“An important moment for me was when we didn’t hold up signs one week and instead went to the post office and read aloud the names of all the Americans killed in the war. People told us they missed us and wanted to know where we were. People actually go out of their way to make sure they drive past us every Friday and honk.”

For some protestors, just doing something makes them feel good.

“I can’t take off of work to change the world, but I can stand out here once a week,” said Barton, who was on his second Friday protest.

Barton wanted people to pay attention to independent media because corporate media either ignores or misses important stories that affect the country and his children. Being somewhat of a newcomer, he wants to start doing more once he reads about the issues.

Besides peace and the media, the group is concerned about the environment, the deficit and social justice, which intertwines all these issues, said Wischmann.

“With the deficit, there’s not enough money to pay for social justice programs,” said Wischmann. “The war adds to the deficit, and the bigger it gets, the less money there is for our children.”

Jerry Martin held a sign that read, “2,327 GIs murdered, Iraq War costs $100,000 a minute, Secret spying on Americans, Secret torture gulags, Feel safer now?”

Martin thinks drivers have become more sympathetic as the war drags on.

“We are showing people there is another side to the story,” said Debi Roberts. “Hopefully, we are making them aware by making them think about something, then maybe they want to do more reading about it when they get home.”

Roberts is concerned about the selling of national forests, among other things, and believes “anytime the president can change the laws to make what he’s doing legal, it’s time for people to pay attention.”

Another sign reads, “Everyone owes $1,000 for the war,” referring to the amount of federal money spent on the Iraq War.

While they may get heckled from time to time, Wischmann wants people to know they aren’t against the troops.

“Nancy Sindelar was in the Reserve for 20 years,” said Wischmann. “That guy over there in a chair was in World War II. We went over to the military base and asked the soldiers if they needed anything. They told us they wanted disposable cameras, so we took up a collection and bought them some. Putting a yellow ribbon on the side of your car doesn’t do anything.”

Stand Up for Peace has an informational table set up in the Wyoming Union every Wednesday, and they have Sunday night vigils at the courthouse from 6 to 7. They hold a potluck on the fourth Monday of every month at the Albany County Public Library, and they hold fund-raisers for different causes, such as supporting Cindy Sheehan.