The Traveler

Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Larry Ash Joe Alexander, a Fayetteville artist, stands at the corner of Dickson Street and College Avenue with a sign promoting the view that Sept. 11 was orchestrated by the Bush Administration. Across the street at the same time, protesters from the Omni Center held their annual protest of the war in Iraq.

Sophia Fowler, 39, stood on the side of College Avenue Saturday holding a sign that read "Bring My Soldier Home! National Guard Wife." To her and so many others, this war is personal, she said.

Fowler was one of about 150 people peacefully protesting against the war in Iraq Saturday. The protest was sponsored by the OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology.

"We've been doing this for years," said Kelly Mulhollan, OMNI vice president. "From the beginning, [people in cars honking] have been agreeing," he said. "This is the fifth year of the invasion, [so] this year we have the '5 years too many' theme."

On College Avenue, protesters were stationed at every stop light from Dickson Street to Township Street.

"We have been coordinating from [the Evelyn Hills Shopping Center] to be sure to equally distribute," Mulhollan said.

OMNI UA also played an active part in the protest, he said.

OMNI UA President Olivia Meeks was coordinating the protest at the intersection on Dickson Street, and the UA group also helped paint banners, Mulhollan said.

"[The OMNI Center is] so honored to have the students of the [UA] be part, we couldn't have done it without them. It's nice to have young energy," he said.

The purpose of the protest is to give people an outlet, to voice their opinion, Mulhollan said.

"It's to keep the pressure up, to keep a visible anti-war presence so the government doesn't think we've forgotten," he said.

"[People] can't forget about the soldiers over there," Fowler said. "[The Iraq War has] been going on for so long that it's easy to forget about it."

Fowler's husband, 34-year-old George Fowler, joined the National Guard in 2002 to become an officer, she said.

Continued...

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