Progressives rally for peace, equality, honesty
Arkansas Greens organize Inaugural Day protest
By Mary Coll
Green Party of Arkansas

Not content to let Jan. 20, 2005 pass into history without a demonstration against the policies of the Bush administration, Washington County , Ak., Greens spurred other progressives in Fayetteville, Arkansas into joining them in lining the city's main thoroughfare to make their sentiments known.

About 40 people held signs protesting the war in Iraq, the administration's environmental policies, U.S. imperialism and dishonest election practices. Protesters held the Green Party banner aloft, as well as the American flag and the peace flag. More often than not, passing motorists returned thumbs-up approval and a honk to peace signs and waves.

GPA State Coordinator Mark Swaney gave an interview to local television media in front of the Federal Building, clarifying the purpose of organizing the rally, as well as Green views of the issues. Local Greens, including those who had come to participate from neighboring counties, led the crowd in chants of "One, two, three, four—we don't want your dirty war" and "What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!"

Longtime Green Carol Tarvin, who brought her seven-year-old granddaughter to the rally, expressed satisfaction that an inspired and exuberant group had turned out to remind the public that Bush's second term and its disturbing policies will not go unchallenged.

Meanwhile in Boone County, State Policy and Positions Co-chair Donna Werley shocked security personnel at the Federal Building in Harrison when she showed up with protest signs and a black mourning wreath splattered with red paint and draped with a ribbon bearing the words, "Four more years."

At first the guards insisted that it was illegal to protest at the site, but in the face of Werley's persistence, and after hurried phone calls to their supervisor, they acknowledged her first amendment rights. "Nobody has ever protested here," said one guard as an explanation for the earlier incorrect assertion.

Werley attracted the attention of a reporter and photographer from the local newspaper as she stood with her sign, which decried the inaugural spectacle as a "$40 million corporate orgy of corruption," and equated the record deficit with a "birth tax on future generations." She received encouragement from most of the passersby, a few of whom approached to express their agreement and thank her for speaking up.

Werley returned to Harrison Square on Valentine's Day to protest the use of public funds by the governor's office to promote covenant marriage. Governor Mike Huckabee, a Baptist minister, and his wife converted their marriage to a covenant marriage in a public ceremony at the Alltel Arena in Little Rock on Feb. 14. Staffers claim the event itself was funded by private donations but asserted that "any state funds or staff time spent on the promotion of this event are fully legal and justifiable considering this event is merely promoting public awareness of a state law." The so-called Celebration of Marriage comes on the heels of an amendment to the Arkansas State Constitution prohibiting marriage equality for same-sex couples, along with domestic partnerships.

Noting that there was a much larger demonstration in Little Rock on that day, Werley decided to hold her vigil in Harrison to encourage others in this conservative area to overcome their fears and speak out. "I think I will have a bigger impact right here where I live," she said. "After all, nobody does this sort of thing in Harrison!"

Back to Spring 2005