On Friday, March 1, from 5-6 p.m., Women In Black of Santa Cruz, along with other peace groups, demonstrated at the corner of Cooper and Pacific in downtown Santa Cruz to call for an end to the U.S. drone program and to tell the government and President of the United States, "Ground the drones! Stop killing children and other innocent people!"
Women in Black of Santa Cruz holds a weekly peace vigil on Fridays from 5-6 p.m. at the same location. The vigils in Santa Cruz are typically silent demonstrations where participants dress in all black while holding a banner and signs calling for peace.
This Friday's demonstration was cosponsored by CodePink Santa Cruz, People United for Peace of SC, Peace and Freedom Party SC, and the Resource Center for Nonviolence.
While participants held over 150 placards, one person chanted to pedestrians on Pacific, "These are the names of some of the kids killed by U.S. drones."
Organizers report that under President Barack Obama's watch, and implemented by the CIA, hundreds of innocent children and other adults have been killed and maimed by the use of drones (robotic planes) in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia.
Sherry Conable of People United for Peace held a large sign stating that in Pakistan, over 600 children have died from U.S. drone attacks. The gruesome statistics stated that over 85 children died from U.S. drones in Yemen, and over 35 children in Somalia.
Women in Black of Santa Cruz invites people to join them during their weekly vigils at Pacific and Cooper.
Women in Black is a world-wide network of women committed to peace with justice and actively opposed to injustice, war, militarism and other forms of violence. As women experiencing these things in different ways in different regions of the world, Women in Black supports each other's movements, with a focus on challenging the militarist policies of our their governments. Women in Black is not an organization, but a means of communicating and a formula for action.
