500 pairs of boots in Chicago

[donsu]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/special_packages/iraq/7763226.htm

500 pairs of Army boots stand empty in Federal Plaza to symbolize war dead

Although they drew the attention of only a few people rushing to lunch on a frigid January afternoon, more than 500 pairs of empty Army boots placed side-by-side Wednesday in downtown Chicago were a visible reminder of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

The black boots, some dusty and dirty because they had been used by soldiers, were placed on Federal Plaza in front of a posterboard display that listed the names, ages and states of all soldiers killed in the war.

"These young men and women will not have died in vain if truth triumphs," said Michael McConnell, regional director of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker peace and social justice organization that sponsored the memorial.

-snip

The memorial was a powerful symbol of fallen soldiers for Becky Schillo of Chicago.

"You hear about one or two soldiers being killed, then 500," the 24-year-old said. "It kind of hits home."
-snip-
------------------------


how can Chicago not see 500 pairs of boots?

[veganwitch]

1. willful ignorance

and there is no picture to go with the article either.

[For PaisAn]

2. photo

My local paper, Long Island Newsday had a photo of this today.
Here's the photo

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/photos/ny-dailygallery0122,0,5768723.photogallery?coll=ny-li-photos-features&index=3

How anyone in Chicago can not notice this powerful symbolic display is mind boggling to me.

[diamond14]

7. full photo here....

[diamond14]

18. Picasso would be proud....nt

.

[lebkuchen]

19. Talk about "a work in progress"

It's also transportable. Maybe the Quakers will put it in front of Cheney's house.

[GinaMaria]

3. how?

I can answer for myself. I don't live or work anywhere near Federal Plaza. Their best bet is to take it to different areas of the city.
It's also so flippin cold out there today, people have themselves wrapped in scarves with very little periferal vision. They also want to get indoors as quickly as possible. It's brutal out there today.

[madrchsod]

6. i`ve been downtown a couple

of times when it`s cold like today..you are right,you sure don`t do anything but get from one place to another as fast as you can..
hell it`s cold out here on the prairie today.heat wave this weekend

[diamond14]

9. awful arrogant remark.....when brave protestors STAND UP in the

cold, working hard to collect all those boots, plan and implement a peaceful protest...and you can only think that they should DELIVER those boots over to where you live, so YOU can view them....


YOU could, at any time, get up off the couch and HELP....

here in DC, over 600 people braved 10 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill....at night...for over TWO HOURS, to read the names of OUR DEAD soldiers...outside the United States Capital during the SOTU...ONE brave DUer (Mari333) stood in the town square in Kalamazoo Michigan in frigid temperatures, a sole protestor, and read the names of every single DEAD American soldier....

some will always sit on the couch and complain, but others will STAND UP and stop the killing....


Anti-war protester Heather Pollack, of Fairfax, Va., holds a candle outside the Capitol during the President's State of The Union address, Jan. 20, 2004. Pollack and other protesters read the names of American soldiers killed in the war on terror. (Photo: AP)


yes, it was bone-chilling cold...10 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill....but we STOOD UP...and so should YOU...put your coat on and GO LOOK AT THE DEAD SOLDIERS BOOTS...stop complaining...

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. I work in the suburbs and rarely get to downtown Chicago.

And you are correct about the weather -- just going about 25 feet from the building to my car at lunch today was not fun.

The Chicago Tribune ran an article with photo this morning. I have checked their website for a link, but cannot find it and the Trib's search function is down. Meanwhile, below is the link from the American Friends Service Committee.

http://www.afsc.org/human-face/us/boots.htm

[diamond14]

4. in Kalamazoo Michigan, a single DUer read each DEAD soldiers'

name in the town square, during the pResident's SOTU....(DUer, Mari333)

and here in DC, over 600 people stood outside the United States Capital building, while bush* spoke....we each had a card with a DEAD soldiers name and age...and each person walked up to the microphone and read the soldiers' name and age....we also read cards for the innocent Iraqis KILLED with our tax money, in groups of 100 Iraqis (as in: I stand for 100 innocent Iraqis KILLED by the United States Government)....our theme was: 'Remembering Lives Lost to a LIE'.....

[Robbien]

5. Okay, I saw it

It was powerful. But the weather is so cold today and the wind was really blowing that you could only look as you were rushing by trying to get in out of the cold. Bad timing.

Brrrr. Did I mention it is cold?

[chiburb]

8. I just emailed the Chi Trib....

Asking if THEY covered this story. I didn't see it in the Sun-Times either...
If neither covered it I'll know what to do here (and keep y'all informed).

[greatauntoftriplets]

11. The Tribune delivered to my home this morning had a story & photo.

But I cannot find it on their website.

[chiburb]

12. Thank you!

I'll let Zorn know...

[PopSixSquish]

13. Reminds me of a Very Powerful Episode of China Beach

where the character who was in charge of the morgue rounded up all the boots of the dead soldiers and placed them in the dining tent.

Made me cry as does this picture.

[XNASA]

14. You shouldn't be so hasty with your assumptions.

Yes, it was really fricken cold yesterday. So what, we Chicagoans generally don't let the weather get in our way of anything. Only wimps do that.

But this event suffered from a lack of publicity. I checked all the regular sources and only found mention of it after it had already occurred.

Chicago stands second to no American city when it comes to Peace Activism. We are the most blue-collar, most Democratic city in America. The Republican Party doesn't exist in Chicago. You can check these calendars listed below, if you need proof.

http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/35294/index.php

http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/35602/index.php

http://peacechicago.org/calendar.php

And one more point, if I may. Chicagoans are a meat and potato lot. We aren't into symbolism, we're into action.

Remember the Haymarket Martyrs? Their spirit lives on today.

[diamond14]

15. could you get with those protestors and HELP them continue.??

if it's anything like here in DC...they need PERMITS, lawyers, all that stuff...and people to stand there, just to make certain there's NO vandalism of the exhibit....,maybe you could bring them a hot lunch or a warm cup of coffee....you could help with a great big publicity campaign, including all Chicago media, radio, TV, newspapers, talk-shows, etc...

they certainly need a BIGGER SIGN...anytime anti-war activists do anything, others should STEP UP and fully support them....

those protestors did very good thing, just to get out there and mount the exhibit...but who knows how long before police start harrassing them, or tell them to remove the boots because it violates homeland security....

it would be GREAT if you Chicago activists could get over there TODAY and keep that exhibit, that powerful anti-war visual statement,
keep it displayed at Daly Plaza for the NEXT SIX WEEKS...

and when you are done....send it here to DC...we'd love to put it right in front of congress and the shrub....

[lebkuchen]

16. The photograph takes up half the front page of today's "Stars and Stripes"

Whether Chicagoans have seen it or not, US soldiers all over the world will.

The AP article is on page 7, with its anti-war message.

[donsu]

17. wow

nt

[Don_G]

20. Strange

Since when does an artist know what the the buddies of the guys lost have felt or have been through?

I'm certain that my cousin has other ideas since he was there, got to know them, earned the Silver Star along with a few other Decorations and no one thinks to ask his or my other Cousins opinions?

How can Mr Bush not see or feel 500 boots aimed up his AWOL tush or does the people that served then and there have other ideas?

Or Dick Cheney, Kathrine Harris' or Halliburton's slick up the whazzo.

[Snappy]

21. No feeling

The Neo Fascists have no feelings for dead or maimed soldiers. They are only pawns in their power game.