Bringing the Troops Home One Protest at a Time

Protesting and peace? These are two words that you usually do not hear together but that is exactly what one group of people in the city of Reading are doing. They are protesting for peace against the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, in hopes to not only bring about peace but also to bring the troops home. Every Friday at 5pm you can see this group of people protesting the war on the Penn Street Bridge. Although, not many people know about the protest, it has been going on for three years and will continue to go on as long as there are people to support it. The main supporters and leaders of the protest are Lisa and John, who preferred to have their last names kept private.

The protest is not trying to insult anybody, but it is in fact just trying to inform the people of Reading about the war. They are also trying to spread a message of peace instead of a message of war. The protest is not limited to a certain group of people, in fact anybody can join in and they encourage people who feel that it’s right to join them on the bridge and help spread the word.

Although some people might think that this is offensive to the troops that are over fighting the war, there are also those who support the cause. This can be both seen and heard in the number of honks and peace signs thrown up by the cars that drive by on the bridge. There are also war veterans who participate in the protest. So it is possible to both fight in the war and still want peace and to bring the troops home.

Melvin Domgiphe, an Iraqi war veteran used to think that the protests were offensive but now feels indifferent to them. More can be heard about this in the audio cast, where he talks about both his time in Iraq and how he feels about both protests in general and this particular protest.

There may be lots of support but there are also the people who do not support the people on the bridge and occasionally will tell them to “get a job”, give them the finger, or call them other degrading names.

Surprisingly there has not been much news coverage or support from the city of Reading. The only news that covered the event was Berks 69 News and that was only because it was John Lennon’s birthday. In fact, about a year ago the city of Reading did not allow the group to have their parade on the street, because they were using the word peace. Since the group refused to listen to the city of Reading and who wanted them to not use the word they were moved to the sidewalk instead of being allowed to march in the street.

The city of Reading could not be reached for any further information on the subject.

So is it possible to protest for peace? One group of people seem to think so and they are out their proving it to Reading every Friday that it is possible. And despite the few people who are angered by their presence there is a surprisingly warm welcome.