Everett man to monitor Palestinian vote
Published 9:00 pm Friday, January 13, 2006
EVERETT – Every Friday, Vernon Huffman, 50, hurries to take his place on the south side of the weekly showdown between supporters and opponents of the war in Iraq at the intersection of Hewitt and Colby avenues in Everett.
“I see the flags already,” he said, his step quickening to a trot down Hewitt Avenue when he was about a block away from the regularly scheduled standoff.
For Huffman, taking a literal stand against the war each week is an obligation.
“I believe that you can prevent violence,” he said.
On Jan. 25, when Palestinians cast ballots for the Palestinian Legislative Council, Huffman will be in the West Bank to observe the election.
“When they’re aware that there are no secrets, that everyone is watching, the violence tends not to happen,” he said.
Huffman’s 10-day trip is through Non-Violent Peace Force, a Minnesota-based nonprofit group. The organization’s primary work is in Sri Lanka, but a partner organization in Israel requested volunteers to observe elections.
A team of 15 people from six countries will meet in Israel early next week to stand watch over the elections.
That’s a powerful tool, said Non-Violent Peace Force’s executive director, Mel Duncan.
“The presence of international monitors does have a deterrent effect on incidences of violence,” Duncan said.
Huffman, a former Boeing employee, graduated in December from Henry Cogswell College with a degree in digital technology. He’ll gather video footage that he may use in a documentary.
He currently works as a camera operator at the Everett Events Center.
Huffman’s trip, which begins Sunday, is just one in a lifetime of adventures in the name of peace. He has demonstrated in Guatemala, chanting “The world is watching” during that country’s 36-year civil war. He registered as a conscientious objector in the final days of the Vietnam War.
When he returns from Israel, Huffman said he will report what he has seen to anyone who will listen.
“Witness is really important to nonviolence,” he said.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
