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Vigil - Lobby - VIGIL March 8, 2006Charlotte-Mecklenburg CODEPINK Charlotte, NC | ||
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International Women's Day 2006: At 11:30 AM a group of 3 CODEPINKers assembled on the sidewalk in front of the office building that houses the office of our only local woman congressional representative, Sue Myrick (R- 9th Congressional District). Sue is usually in lock-step with everything Bush wants to do - especially concerning the war and occupation of Iraq. She was a member of the 9 person congressional group selected for special briefings and classified information sharing prior to the war. And she still voted to invade!! We read Carly Sheehan's poem "A Nation Rocked to Sleep" and later read the names of all the North Carolina and South Carolina military men and women who have died in Iraq. All under the watchful eye of a policeman in a patrol car, parked facing us, across the street in the parking lot of Southpark Mall. As we stood, we had an opportunity to speak and pass out CODEPINK information to passers-by - mostly women bus riders, getting off at a nearby bus stop to go to work in the mall. We stood in solidarity and sisterhood until 1PM when one sister needed to go to work and we were joined by a CODEPINK brother. At 2PM we had an appointment and met with Rep. Myrick's chief of staff, Hal Weatherman. We were greeted warmly and had a lively and productive conversation that lasted an hour. We delivered the Women's Call for Peace:Urgent Appeal; the names of all the military personnel killed in Iraq (72 pages of names); and the two sided CODEPINK Women Say NO to War with excerpts from the Report on the Status of Iraqi Women on one side and the list of "What you can do" on the other. Mr. Weatherman promised to give our materials to Rep. Myrick and assured us she would read them. (Note: Recently, members of our Charlotte MoveON group tried to deliver a petition asking Rep Myrick to return money she got from indicted US Rep. Tom DeLay. They were denied access to Rep. Myrick's office by security guards and told they were on private property and could be arrested for trespassing if they did not leave. In contrast, the security guards were very helpful to us and guided us to Rep. Myrick's office. Signs of progress?) At 5:30PM, CODEPINKer's started to gather at a busy intersection in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte. From 5 to 85 years old, 35 of us women and 3 men (including Mark Ortiz, who is running for the US House of Representatives in the 8th district), from North and South Carolina, waved to the homeward bound traffic, in hopes that our troops will soon be homeward bound. We were decked out in pink, with a large Earth flag, banners, and signs. We collected signatures on the Women Say No to War petition, passed out CODEPINK info and had fun!! Two TV stations sent camera men; our local NPR station announced the vigil on air. Hundreds of cars and one very loud semitrailer truck honked in support. People were cheering and waving from their cars. A few brave CODEPINKers were dashing to pass out information to motorists stopped for red lights. A 20 year military veteran, retired, rolled down his window to thank us and say he supported us. Most people wanted to know who we were, and were happy to see us. Just before we ended the vigil, candles were lit, people shared thoughts and poetry and songs. We are energized and ready to keep being loud and pink and peaceful, working for peace and justice in Iraq, at home, and all around the world. Photos of the evening vigil will be sent in soon by our CODEPINK photographer Carol Marley Thanks to Rae and all the CODEPINK team for providing organization, direction, creativity and enthusiasm. Your dedication made this day joyful and meaningful for us in Charlotte, NC. Thanks to everyone who posted events on the CODEPINK website. You inspired us. Thanks to CODEPINK in St Augustine Florida for giving us the idea for our Congressional Vigil and Lobby Visit, Yeah CODEPINK!!!! |
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