A circle of demonstrators pounded a steady drumbeat and protestors shouted "Drop Bush, not bombs!" as more than 300 students, faculty members and Charlottesville residents assembled Saturday afternoon to voice their opposition to a possible war in Iraq.
The demonstration began with a downtown rally at Lee Park, followed by a march along Main Street and ending with a silent vigil on the Lawn.
"We are not going to stop until our voices are truly heard and listened to," said Jessica Forman, third-year College student and event organizer. Forman is a member of the Anti-War Coalition at the University, a nascent organization that cosponsored the rally along with Food not Bombs and the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice.
Saturday's march coincided with protests and counter-protests in Washington, D.C., and around the globe, but organizers said the Charlottesville event was planned before other protests were announced.
One purpose of the Saturday rally was to make up for relatively low attendance at a Feb. 15 protest hampered by a blizzard, said Sue Chase, Peace Center member and event organizer.
Matt Kindig, a third-year Engineering student and Anti-War Coalition member emphasized the importance of smaller communities taking a stand against a possible war.
"It shows the diverse and disparate nature of sentiments against the war within America," Kindig said.
The rally at Lee Park featured parodies of the president and his administration as well as "radical cheerleaders," Anti-War Coalition members who waved pompoms and led the crowd in chants.
Demonstrators toting signs and banners marched down Main Street and University Avenue to honks of support from passing cars, curious stares from bystanders and one middle finger jutting out a car window. Later, one man mooned protestors assembling on the Lawn.
Gathered in front of Cabell Hall, demonstrators ended the rally by encircling a ring of unlit candles and sitting in silence for 15 minutes as a ROTC unit drilled farther up the Lawn and passers-by quietly looked on.
Protestors voiced dismay at what they saw as the Bush administration's apparent determination to go to war with Iraq.
"We're pushing ahead into an unjust war," Kindig said. "The administration hasn't made its case."
Charlottesville resident Christine Palazzolo expressed the same fear.
"It's a terrible mistake," Palazzolo said. "Can you say Korea? Can you say Vietnam? This is not a game. There is no reset button."
Others said they worried the president is acting irrationally.
"It's just going to set us up for another terrorist attack, because when you piss people off they're going to be pissed at you," Charlottesville resident Joey Fowler said.
One demonstrator applauded organizers' intentions but called for even more action.
"The power of protest comes when you make things difficult for those people who have control," Charlottesville resident Allen Hoover said. "Stop traffic. Have a sit-in in the middle of Main Street. Have them arrest everybody."
Nevertheless, police said there were no law violations at the protest.
Organizers said they were pleased with the diversity of the crowd.
"This is a nice blend of students and community members," Kindig said. "They're overlooking the normal student-townie tension to come together for this cause."
Although turnout for the protest did not match that of a January protest on the Downtown Mall that drew people from all over Virginia, organizers said they were happy with the event.
"I feel like people here in the community and around the world want to keep the energy for peace going," Chase said. "And I think they will."
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