The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) reported on the "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" March 17 antiwar march on Sunday.[1]  --  Toward the end of his account, Roberts quoted Iraq war veteran Joshua Farris, 25, one of the speakers at the 11:00 a.m. rally, "from the Klickitat County town of Lyle, [who] marched to the park wearing a shirt announcing his status as an Iraq veteran.  He explained that he served four years in the Army and six months as a scout in Iraq.  'I’m just — I feel that this war is poisoning our country,' he said.  'I have nightmares.  When I was there, I just saw it getting worse.  I want it to end as soon as possible.  We should be putting our treasure in other things.'"  --  The News Tribune put the turnout at "nearly 400," but event organizers estimated almost 600 participated.  --  C.R. Roberts misidentified Mark Jensen of United for Peace of Pierce County as "one of the event organizers"; his work on the event was confined to publicity and media.  --  Credit for organizing goes to members of a large steering committee that worked for months on the march and which included UFPPC members Steve and Kristi Nebel, Sallie Shawl, and many others....

1.

PEACEFUL, STILL PASSIONATE AS WAR NEARS ANNIVERSARY
By C.R. Roberts

News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)
March 18, 2007

[PHOTO CAPTION: Po Karczewski, left, helps heft a giant replica of the U.S. Constitution through the streets of Tacoma on Saturday during a rally calling for an end to the war in Iraq. The public was invited to sign the work, painted on muslin, when the parade reached Wright Park. Nearly 400 people participated in the peaceful march.]

[PHOTO CAPTION: The [six-]block-long line of marchers played drums, chanted, and waved flags and puppets, starting on the Hilltop and concluding at a rally in Wright Park. Some people even fell in step with the demonstrators along the way.]

Nearly 400 people protesting America’s continued presence in Iraq met Saturday in Tacoma and marched peacefully from a rally on the Hilltop to another at Wright Park.

Accompanied by 40 Tacoma police and a Dixieland band composed of military veterans, the group left People’s Park just after noon following a brief round of songs and speeches.

“It’s so good to see all the young people here,” said Tacoma City Councilman Bill Evans.

Mark Jensen of United for Peace of Pierce County and one of the event organizers said the gathering “is really the kickoff for eight or nine days of anti-war events in the Puget Sound. What you’re seeing is an expression of impatience over the failure of American institutions to respond to the will of the people. There is a tremendous frustration.”

Patricia Hoppa, an Army veteran, led the Veterans for Peace band. She played a glockenspiel, while Mark Bordelon, a combat veteran of Vietnam, played banjo.

“When I was in Vietnam I supported the war until halfway through. This time, I knew before it started that it was a bad idea to invade Iraq. I think we’re painting ourselves into a corner,” Bordelon said.

Longshore worker Vance Lelli sang from a small stage and later said, “I represent the Pierce County Labor Council. This protest is the kind we believe is the right kind. We believe the troops are caught in a quagmire, and caught in the middle. This is a protest against the war and the Bush administration.”

Laura Karlin of Tacoma Catholic Worker admitted mixed feelings as the march began.

“It’s fun. It’s festive,” she said. “But a lot of soldiers who have the same conscience as us are facing life-and-death decisions. I know a lot of soldiers who want to leave. Protest is only one piece. How do we support soldiers who want to resist?”

With music, puppets, banners, and flags, the block-long march began at noon with a chant, “This is what democracy looks like.” The group traveled west to the upper Hilltop and back east to the Stadium District and Wright Park. Both rallies and the march proceeded without violence or arrests.

Tacoma police Lt. Corey Darlington, who estimated attendance at 350, said it was “a pretty good crowd after all. That’s what we expected.” He said officers helped guide the group on bicycles, motorcycles, and with police cruisers.

Jodi Evanishyn joined the periphery of the march as protesters passed her home. At first, she said, she and her three children thought the group had formed a parade to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

She does not support the marchers’ aims and said she would prefer the administration “beef up the troops.” With her daughter, 9, and two sons, 11 and 7, Evanishyn followed the march carrying American flags and a sign supporting the war effort.

“We know we live in a liberal state,” she said. “We understand they have a right to free speech, and so do we.”

Joshua Farris, 25, from the Klickitat County town of Lyle, marched to the park wearing a shirt announcing his status as an Iraq veteran. He explained that he served four years in the Army and six months as a scout in Iraq.

“I’m just -- I feel that this war is poisoning our country,” he said. “I have nightmares. When I was there, I just saw it getting worse. I want it to end as soon as possible. We should be putting our treasure in other things.”

Farris is a student at South Seattle Community College and hopes one day to teach history to high school students.

“We saw some bad things over there,” he said.

The crowd at the park slowly grew thin as a midafternoon rain began to fall.