The Last Free Fourth of July?

The Last Free Fourth of July?

By CLARE HANRAHAN

It's the Fourth of July and the night sky will soon light up with corporate-sponsored fireworks, mimicking the sounds and flashes of the U.S.made bombs and missiles that bring death and destruction to Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine.

Tonight, to celebrate Independence Day, I joined a dozen others participating in the CoDe Pink Troops Home Fast. We stood at Vance Monument in Pack Square in Asheville, North Carolina, with ten or more Veterans for Peace during their usual 5-6 p.m. weekly vigil. Streams of people passed by, many gave a thumbs up to our signs, some stopped to join us, others presented a stony countenance or averted their eyes as they passed by on their way to the bandstand at the other end of the fountain.

About 45 minutes into the anti-war vigil, two Asheville police officers moved toward us from a group of about ten. I had watched them discussing our presence in a cluster across the street. They approached the Veterans with the question, "Who is your leader?" This comment drew laughs all around until one of the Vets identified himself and asked, "What's the problem?"

"You can't stand here. You don't have a permit. Ingles has the permit for this space," the officer responded. "We have received a complaint, " he continued, though he did not identify the complainant. "You will have to move across the street."

It was nearly 6 p.m. and we were soon to pack up to go anyway. "We have been here every Tuesday for three years," the Vet asserted. I'm staying until 6 p.m." When the officer again declared that we had to leave, the Vet replied, "Well, I guess you'll have to arrest me then."

The policeman, a Sergeant Luke Bigelow, stated again that since Ingles had the permit, and we were not part of Ingles July 4th party, we had to go.

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