Waging peace

LAKE FOREST PARK

Standing on the corner of Ballinger and Bothell ways in the rain, wind, or extremely low temperatures isn’t a problem for members of the Lake Forest Park for Peace group.

The Iraq War, however, is what members have a problem with.

“We’re better than the post office, we’ve done all sorts of weather,” said Bob Trutnau, of Kenmore. “Who knows what this Saturday will bring?”

“If it’s raining and cold, people will go in (Towne Centre) and warm up and come out again,” said Selma Bonham, 81, of Mill Creek. Most members of the peace group are from Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, or nearby areas.

To commemorate U.S. and Iraqi fatalities of war, members of the Lake Forest Park for Peace group organized a special event that began mid-morning on Saturday, Jan. 6. After setting up a white canopy and two podiums, members read names of war casualties, using megaphones so passers-by could better hear.

Two monks from a monastery on Bainbridge Island took turns ringing a bowl gong after each name was read.

“As monks, we pray for the non-killing of all beings and mostly for peace in the world,” said Gilberto Perez, a monk who lives in a temple on Bainbridge Island. “We’ll be here all day today.”

The names of more than 3,000 U.S. service personnel killed in action were read simultaneously with the names of Iraqi citizens killed during the war. People who spoke Arabic were invited to the event to help pronounce the Iraqi names.

“We are concerned about all of the lives lost,” Bonham said.

Taking a turn reading Iraqi names was Mustafa Chida, 35. He was invited to participate in the commemoration event by a friend. He read names for about 25 minutes, taking turns with four other people.

“I participated in a march downtown against the war, but I haven’t done much activism,” said Chida, an American citizen for seven years, who came from Tunisia, a country situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. “I don’t plan to stay here the whole day.”

Peace group members gather weekly at the same corner every Saturday morning, where they wave signs or stand solemnly until noon. The group was first formed in December, 2002.

Every Saturday, group members meet at 10 a.m. at Third Place Commons inside Towne Centre to discuss plans and upcoming events. Then at 11 a.m., they head out to the street corner.

About 20 people regularly attend, but the group has a much larger turnout for special events. There’s also an e-mail list with more than 150 names. The group is affiliated with the Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War organization.

“People were walking up all during the day, strangers and people who we haven’t seen before,” Trutnau said about the commemoration event.

In the past, group members organized other special events, such as displaying crosses for soldiers who have died, but that became too difficult to keep up with, said Bonham.

The group was originally founded by seven members who organized against the Iraq war, said Trutnau. And from there it grew. Trutnau first became involved in the group after he saw members on the corner one day when he was headed to Albertsons.

“I wanted to go over and say thanks for what they were doing,” said Trutnau. “Their honest earnestness compelled me to come back; it’s an experience that has changed my life.”

The corner of Ballinger and Bothell ways is an optimal place for the group to stand, said Trutnau, as people are driving north from Seattle or are traveling south from the North End. The location is a “good-sized cross section of the American public as a whole,” he said.

Though many drivers wave or honk horns, the group also hears from supporters of the war. Sometimes drivers will give “the finger” or yell obscenities.

“We don’t try to confront them, just wait and hope they have a good day,” said Bonham. “It’s been truly peaceful.”

“The number of people who negatively react to us has gotten less and less over time,” Trutnau said. “It just sort of mimics the national polling.”

A group of people who support the war stand on the street corner every Saturday morning as well, before the peace group gathers. Members of the other group wave flags and “support our troops” signs, said Bonham.

“We support troops, too, and want to bring them home,” said Bonham. “The groups often talk to each other about issues, but nobody convinces anybody.”

When Cindy Sheehan, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq, was camping out at President George W. Bush’s ranch, asking to speak to him, it was a “big turning point in the anti-war movement,” said Bonham. A candlelight vigil the group held at the time turned out 400 people.

Group members’ goals are diverse. Some are opposed to the present administration and have strong feelings about the president, said Bonham. Others are opposed to any war or are concerned about the neglect of domestic issues.

“There’s quite a variety in signs, but by far the most are opposed to the policy in Iraq,” Bonham said.

The peace group’s activity on the street corner is one of the most “radical movements” in U.S. history, said Glen Milner, of Lake Forest Park.

“What we have here are people who live comfortably in the suburbs and have jobs and families, yet feel responsible for activities of the government,” Milner said. “I think it’s safe to say that people will be here (on the corner) until the Iraq war is over and troops are brought home.”