|
PRESS RELEASE
24-Hour Vigil to Send a Message to the Minnesota Congressional Delegation: The People Want Peace Now!
The People will hold a 24-hour Vigil and Rally for Peace at the office of Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman starting Monday, July 23. The event will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday at the congressional office located near the intersection of Hwy 280 and University Avenue in St. Paul.
A statement issued by organizers says, "This 24-hour vigil is intended to send a message to the entire Minnesota Congressional delegation that The majority of the people of Minnesota want an end to the U.S. war in Iraq.
We want the troops to come home now and the funds being used for war and occupation to be redirected to meet human needs.
At 4:30 pm on July 23, a rally is planned with speakers from a variety of community groups.
Organizers say a core of people will stay for the full 24 hours, with many others planning to come and go throughout the day. We have made a sign with the name, town, and age of each troop killed in Iraq, we enourage participants to take one of the signs out of the black coffin that the Veterans for Peace have made.. and to take one sign into Coleman's office and tell his staff that we don't want one more death. We also have signs that tell passerbys to call their Representative as well as Sen. Norm Coleman and Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Sen. Coleman: 202-224-5641, fax 202-224-1152 In twin cities 651-645-0323 Sen. Klobuchar: 202-224-3244, fax 202-228-2186 In the twin cities 612-727-5220
** we encourage to come when ever you can if you live in or near the Twin Cities. We will be there all night.
During the nighttime hours of Monday evening and early Tuesday morning organizers will keep 20 candles burning to memorialize those who have died in the war.
The 24-hour Vigil will end with a press conference at 9:15 am on Tuesday, July 24 in the hallway in front of Senator Coleman’s office.
Following the press conference, there will be a short memorial service. Vigil participants from other districts will carry a message from the Vigil to their respective Congresspersons, calling on them to take action.
One organizer said, "For 24 straight hours, the intersection of Hwy 280 and University Ave. will be a visible expression of our anti-war message: - “Not one more death, not one more dollar.”
We will continue working to end this war for as long as it takes.
The event is sponsored by the Twin Cities Peace Campaign – Focus on Iraq and Women Against Military Madness. For more information call 612 522-1861 or 612-827-5364
|