8mm
Posted on 05/11/2008 2:25:00 PM PDT by wagglebee
An estimated 300 motorists and a hearse took part Saturday morning in a symbolic funeral procession through downtown Knoxville to commemorate abortions performed in Knox County last year.
The procession started at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and wound down Gay Street before ending at Depot Avenue. It drew fewer participants than originally expected. Officials had estimated 15 area funeral homes would provide hearses for the event, held the day before Mother's Day.
Gentry-Griffey Funeral Chapel provided the hearse.
"You know, we're still thankful for the one hearse we had," said Aaron Jones, associate pastor with Knoxville's Trinity Chapel. "I really hope that other cities use us as an example and have more processions like the one today."
Knoxville Police Department officers provided traffic control at the expense of organizers. The event took place without incident. Officers said they saw no protesters.
Jones said he asked one person involved in the processional to leave when the participant wanted to use signs on his vehicle to express his anti-abortion stance.
"We weren't interested in getting into a shouting match with people," said Jones. "This is about sending the message of God's mercy. Jesus says, 'Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.' It's about healing and bringing closure."
Jones said signs and banners were not used because organizers wanted to take politics out of the discussion. The point was to make anyone who felt badly for having undergone an abortion know they were welcome at church, he said.
Some onlookers weren't sure what they were seeing.
"I thought it was an actual funeral," said Anne Giffin, who was on her way to meet friends for a movie. "It seems kind of pointless when no one else knows what's going on."
Organizers formulated the idea after hearing of a funeral and burial of 25 aborted babies found in Dumpsters behind a clinic in Detroit.
"We need to have more funerals like this for abortions," Jones said. "It's important to give a face to all of those unborn babies and let everyone know that was a real person."
Very true.
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I think maybe one informative, peaceful sign on the hearse might have been a good idea.
"In the last HOUR, abortuaries have murdered 150 American babies."
Agreed! An interesting way to get the message out.
Yes, something like that! I really don’t see the sense in doing it without people knowing WHY they were doing it. Is it a really small town or something? I live in a small town and would just think someone had died. I guess it was just for the people participating.
No you don't!
I live in a small town. The population was 3,839 at the 2000 census. It’s small town living in the middle of Kansas City. I feel like it’s the best kept secret around. There are no street lights in town and only a few stop signs on our main drag. So, actually, yes, I do! ;0) It takes awhile getting used to everyone knowing who you are and where you live, etc.
The population of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area is just under 2 MILLION people, making it the 29th largest metropolitan area in the country (just ahead of Las Vegas).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Metropolitan_Area
You live in a suburb! :-)
You would think that I live in a suburb but this town is anything but a suburb. I’m telling you, I don’t live in KC. It truly is this ridiculously small town with the older generation hanging out watching everything that goes on. Everyone knows each other and whether you attend the Catholic Church or the Methodist Church in town. They’re all of Slavic descent and it will be at least 10 years before we fit in. We’ve been here two years (attended the church for 3) and we’re still the new people that bought ‘the Sullivan’s house’. It is not just another suburb.
Okay, tell yourself it’s a little town. :-)
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