They’re Taking A Stand Against The War, One Step At A Time
A small group of protesters is marching 450 miles from Chicago to St. Paul to join demonstrators at the Republican National Convention.
by Randy Furst
Marching through small towns and big cities across Illinois and Wisconsin, a handful of war protesters are on the first leg of a 450-mile walk from Chicago to St. Paul to join demonstrators at the Republican National Convention. “As we come through various communities, individuals and groups join us to walk for a day or two,” Dan Pearson, 27, said by cell phone from Madison, Wis., where the group stopped Monday to attend a peace vigil at the state Capitol.
About 10 to 15 people are taking part in most of the trek, with six going the whole distance, said Pearson, co-coordinator for the Chicago-based Voices for Creative Nonviolence, which organized the “Witness Against War” walk.
The route will take them to Baraboo and LaCrosse, in Wisconsin, and on to Winona, Minn., before they reach St. Paul on Aug. 30, marching about 12 miles per day.
“We’ve been in touch with a number of peace groups in northern Illinois and Wisconsin,” he said. “{They} have put us in their homes.
Part of the symbolism of the Chicago-St. Paul march is to link the protests at the Sept. 1-4 GOP convention with the antiwar demonstrations that occurred at the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago.
One of the marchers is Paul Melling, 27, a recent graduate of St. Cloud Technical College and a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
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http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/29/10682/