Posted on 10/21/2007 6:29:53 AM PDT by Gondring
WEST CHESTER -- Several hundred protesters gathered in front of the the Chester County Courthouse on Saturday to show their support for or against the war in Iraq.
For the past five years, Karen Porter, director of the Chester County Peace Movement, has led protests against the war in Iraq. Those protesters have stood at the corners of High and Market streets in the borough without much opposition.
But seven weeks ago that changed when Rich Davis, who spent 20 years in the Navy and lives in West Chester, showed up, protesting Porter’s views of the war and how they protest. “(The protesters) are here every weekend. ... They are not the face of West Chester ... they are not the face of me,” Davis said last week.
Although he wasn’t able to attend Saturday’s protest, he said, “It’s grown and I’m thrilled. ... My presence intimidates them because I don’t think like them.”
Pro-war protesters gathered in front of the Old Glory statue while the majority of the anti-war protesters gathered across the street in front of the First National Bank’s Swope Building. A few, holding signs, stood mixed in with those supporting the war.
Protesters held signs urging motorists to honk their horns for peace, and others held signs supporting the war in Iraq.
As motorists stopped at the traffic light, some honked or shouted, “No war for oil!” while others took the opposite position, shouting that we need to be victorious in Iraq and to not be soft on Iran.
Cars passed, honking their horns, showing support for the anti-war protesters, or drivers and passengers yelled obscenities at both groups. Others stretched up and down High Street.
When support from passing motorists died down, shouting from both groups could be heard up and down the streets. “You people are traitors. ... You people are hypocrites,” shouted Philadelphia-resident Roale. Roale declined to give his last name.
Raole said his daughter is a commissioned officer in the Navy. “Any place that these people (anti-war protesters) are putting my kid at risk, I will be there to oppose them,” he said. “They are not a peace group. They are putting us all at risk.”
That sentiment, and the idea that those opposing the war are supporting terrorism, is the message that Raole and those surrounding him share.
“We give soldiers a voice by standing up for them,” said Chris Hill, national director of operations for the Gathering of Eagles, a nonprofit organization that supports American troops.
As tempers flared and protesters from both sides antagonized each other, an anti-war protester approached Hill and a vocal altercation followed. Other protestors stepped in before it escalated.
“He (the man walked away before he could be identified) came over here and challenged me to a fist fight,” Hill said. “I didn’t go over there. We didn’t come here looking for a fight.”
When told of the incident, Davis said, “I don’t condone the pushing, it’s not what I’m about. ... I want to solve problems.”
According to Porter, those that come out in opposition to the Chester County Peace Movement each Saturday, “their sole intent is to discourage these vigils.” As people supporting the Chester County Peace Movement were disseminating, Porter added, “They could do it any other time of the week. ... They’re not pro-military or pro-war, the point from day one has been to intimidate us.”
In an earlier conversation, Porter acknowledged that allowing both sides to air their views is necessary, but she said people who support Davis “wouldn’t be here if our message wasn’t getting across.”
She also said that they are good people who “want to support what they believe.”
This week’s crowd was larger than those in past weeks and that got the attention of some that had never attended -- for or against the war.
“I was driving by and thought I’d stop, just to see what’s going on,” said retired West Chester Police Officer Bill Chesko.
Although Chesko supports the war in Iraq he said he doesn’t “side with the biker gang (those on motorcylces who are part of the Gathering of Eagles).” He added, “Quite honestly, I can’t tell what this does after a while. ... You are not going to change anybody’s mind by yelling.”
To contact staff writer Justin McAneny, send an e-mail to justinm@dailylocal.com.
Stories like this one, reporting the unsanitized truth, must really burn the lefties! And it's not like in Iraq, where they can lie about things to the American people...when it happens on our streets, Americans can confirm media reports first-hand.
And Doctor Raoul's name might be misspelled, but his message got through!
Ping
Physical altercations are always initated by the "peace" protesters.
They do a pretty good job of getting out there. I used to see at least a handful of them almost daily on the street corner in Kennett Square.
PING. I live in West Chester. Nice to see a counter protest against the loony leftists.
I used to live there. Graduated from Henderson HS :)
When I see these anti-USA protests... which embarrass me because when I was younger, such human waste would never have set foot in West Chester, I always yell out "TRAITORS" as we drive up High Street.
I live up in the woods of PA.[north columbia county].My job takes me down to near Philly sometimes. I saw a bunch of burned out hippies in Quakertown in july with thier signs and wearing their tie dies from the sixties.
Come on out on Saturdays, there’s enough hippies for everyone, you won’t have to share.
Over all, these things are a good time for them. It's their Mardi Gras. Since up to now, nobody has opposed them, it's fun. Everyone hates America, just like you. You can say anything against America and everybody agrees with you.
It's fun, it re-enforces your self-image, so there's an attraction.
But when the counterprotests start, all that is in question and their numbers go down.
Remember, most are there mainly because someone else made up their mind for them in a poll result. Regardless of their own opinion, if there wasn't a 70% poll to back them up, they wouldn't risk it.
Please read my profile. I am not a liberal nor do I support what these folks are doing. All I was saying is that they are out and about quite a bit where I live.
And if it is my screen name you do not like, they are someone’s call sign in the USAF. Note the CAP Mom note at the bottom. That is CAP = Civil Air Patrol. We are an Air Force family.
“And if it is my screen name you do not like,”
Any friend of Snoopy’s is a friend of mine. ;)
Although I cannot speak for Doctor Raoul, I interpreted his comments as being a commentary from the point of view of a leftie protest-weenie, not you personally.
Oops...meant to ping Doctor Raoul on that last post.
I don’t know why you took offense at my analysis. I was explaining why they turn out for these things and that’s all.
Wow, you rally need to throttle back on the paranoia a bit.
You are correct, that’s why I said “them” in reply to “they come out”.
I do find the mis-spelling of your name an amusing example of how diligent the journalist was about checking FACTS. *sheesh* I was in Doylestown in August and the flaky anti-war folks were on all 4 corners of a busy pedestrian intersection. Seemed like most of the pedestrians ignored them and I couldn’t figure out how to respond since I had no access to poster board or markers.
I’m not far from West Chester. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this past weekend but I’ll be happy to participate in future rallies. It’s about time the sidewalks of High and Market get shared with the rest of us instead of this constant anit-war drivel. I’m not surprised by one of these angry aging hippies wanting to start a fistfight, though. Moron.
The reporter was in a rush to get back and get a story done before deadline.
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