Protesters greet Bush with calls to end war
Impromptu demonstration in Rodney Square draws support
By Summer Harlow / News Journal
WILMINGTON, DE -- War is not the answer!
No more victims!
The anti-war signs with their familiar slogans bobbed along as a dozen marchers and one black Great Dane made their way down 11th Street toward Rodney Square on Wednesday.
Helicopters circled overhead, and drivers, stuck in traffic that had been stopped to allow President Bush's motorcade to pass, honked their horns in support, shouting thanks to the protesters. A few passersby even applauded. Negative comments were few.
One Bush supporter rolled down his window to tell the protesters to get a job.
"Get a conscience," they responded.
"We need to keep speaking out against the war, because our protest now has majority support," said Tom Davis of Wilmington. "The anti-war sentiment is irreversible at this point, and no matter where you are on the political spectrum, you want the troops to come home."
In Rodney Square, across from the DuPont Theatre, the demonstration grew to more than 30 protesters waving American flags and chanting, "Stop the war, stop the war, troops home now."
"I wish we were a thousand strong," said Fred Sinton, of Unionville, Pa. "It's people in the streets that will make the difference."
Ed O'Donnell of Wilmington was proud of his homemade sign -- Bush AND Democrats do nothing about guns and war.
"Both parties have failed us, and not just with Iraq," said O'Donnell.
With all the problems in the world, he said, it's up to the public to try to make a difference.
"If we stop the war one day sooner, or get one gun off the street, it's worth it," he said. "You try to help, one person at a time, one protest at a time, one kind act at a time."
Rob Sadot of Newark said he didn't know how much impact Wednesday's protest would have on Bush.
"But judging from the last election, somebody's paying attention," he said. "By being out here, we're doing something. I think we make people stop and think, at least for that moment."
Where is Osama?
Death, oil and blood vs. Peace, jobs and justice.
Jerome Robinson said he joined the demonstration after he got off work at Kirkwood Fitness and Racquetball Club in downtown Wilmington.
"My brother joined the Army three weeks ago, so now it's personal for me," he said. "It's mind-boggling to me that this started with Osama and shifted to Hussein. We'll probably never know the real motives because it's all just politics. Now all we can do is pray for the troops to come home soon." Pat Jackson brought her son Peter, a senior at the Charter School of Wilmington, to Rodney Square to protest Bush's visit.
"I lived through the Vietnam draft, and I remember listening to the lottery of birthdays, and it was terrifying," she said.
Peter, 17, said he worries if the war continues, Bush's call for more troops could lead to another draft.
So he made a sign to wear over his coat at the demonstration.
Send me to college, not to Iraq.
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