Over 9,000 people have signed a petition at bit.ly/cvillepeacepole urging the City of Charlottesville to erect a peace pole or other monument in support of peace.
The petition is endorsed by RootsAction.org, WorldBeyondWar.org, Pax Christi Charlottesville, Amnesty International Charlottesville, and the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice.
The website hosting the petition states:
“Charlottesville’s monuments to wars, including the Native American genocide, the defense of slavery, and the slaughter of 3.8 million Vietnamese, dominate public space. Removing them would be ideal.
“An easier method of quickly displaying our city’s support for peace would be to create a peace pole. Charlottesville’s city council has spoken up repeatedly over the years for peace, for reduced military spending, for transition to peaceful industries, and for a halt to particular wars. But a visitor to Charlottesville cannot observe any of that anywhere on the landscape.
“Charlottesville has four sister cities, and signs indicating them are visible in Charlottesville. But the motto of Sister Cities International, ‘Peace Through People,’ is nowhere to be found. There is no location set aside to celebrate these relationships, as there could be in combination with a peace pole.”
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