Vigil 5

By Patrick Anderson • A car honk is an obnoxious sound that usually signals a warning to other drivers. For Coleen Rowley they mean something else: support and strength in numbers. Rowley organizes what she calls “banner vigils” to speak out against the war in Iraq and US military aggression. The vigils are held every week on footbridges over I-94. Big colorful banners are placed on the bridge railing so any one driving on the highway below can read the anti-war slogans painted on them. The photos here were taken at the Snelling Ave. footbridge in St. Paul on June 15 2008, Father’s Day. Volunteers helped tuck banners into the handrails and hold flags during the vigil, which lasted for about 45 minutes. Rowley said around 30 volunteers helped with the Father’s Day protest, but most weekly vigils were smaller, involving about a half-dozen people. She said she has enough equipment to cover four footbridges at one time, and hopes to have enough to cover more during the Republican National Convention in September.