Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace is a grassroots group of neighbors from the Merriam Park neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota, and surrounding neighborhoods in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Twin Cities suburbs, who came together in February 2003 to share information and speak out with a unified voice against the war on Iraq. We are dedicated to pursuing peaceful, non-violent alternatives in every area where conflicts arise, promoting social justice and tolerance, conserving natural resources and the environment in which we live, and protecting human rights and civil liberties in Minnesota, the United States, and the rest of the world.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Panel Presentation: The Effects of U.S. Sanctions on Iraq, Iran and North Korea

Monday, December 10, 2012

Candlelight Vigil: Seeking Two Million Friends to End the War in Afghanistan

Peace Store

New St. Paul Neighborhood Anti-war Group to Sponsor Twin Cities Peace March and Rally on March 22nd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

St. Paul, MN – March 10, 2003 – Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace is a grassroots organization of neighbors from the Merriam Park area of St. Paul and surrounding Twin Cities neighborhoods that is dedicated to stopping war with Iraq and encouraging the government to pursue peaceful, non-violent alternatives to war. Formed only in mid-February by St. Paul residents and new activists, Anne Benson and Rachel Goligoski, the group has grown quickly with the dedicated enthusiasm of its membership and is now planning a Neighbors March for Peace with the help of the seasoned activists of the Iraq Peace Action Coalition (IPAC) and the endorsement of many other Twin Cities peace and social justice organizations. The Neighbors March for Peace will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2003, on Summit and Grand Avenues in St. Paul. Marchers will assemble at 1:30 p.m. at Macalester College (1600 Grand Avenue at Snelling Avenue, St. Paul) in the Bateman Plaza south of Grand Avenue outside of the Student Center. At 2:00 p.m., the group will proceed east on Summit Avenue and back west on Grand Avenue to return for a rally with music and speakers at Macalester College.

"The power of this event will lie in diverse Twin Cities and Minnesota neighborhoods joining together in one place to raise a united voice against war," says Krista Menzel, the group's web site designer and march planning committee member. "We encourage all communities—whether they are actual neighborhoods, cities, families, businesses, religious congregations, ethnic groups, unions, schools, or other organizations—to attend the Neighbors March for Peace and carry a banner or sign or wear a shirt, button, or hat that identifies their community and their disagreement with this unjust war and the inhumane sanctions against the innocent civilians of Iraq."

The Neighbors March for Peace is endorsed by many Twin Cities organizations, including the Anti-War Committee, Friends for a Non-Violent World, Mac Iraq, Minnesota AlliantAction, Pax Christi Twin Cities, St. Anthony Park Neighbors for Peace, St. Joan of Arc/WAMM Peacekeepers, Twin Cities Campaign to Lift Sanctions, United Steelworkers of America - District 11, U of M Students Against War, Veterans For Peace, Welfare Rights Committee, Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), and the Women's Political Alliance. For a continually updated list of endorsers and more information or promotional materials for this event, please visit the Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace web site (http://www.mppeace.org).

Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace meets on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Mark's Catholic Church (2001 Dayton Avenue, St. Paul). Anyone who wants to work together with others for the peace cause and bring an educational message of non-violence to his or her Twin Cities neighborhood is invited to attend meetings or subscribe to the MPPeace mailing list.

For more information about Merriam Park Neighbors for Peace or this event, please visit the group's web site at http://www.mppeace.org or contact:

Rachel Goligoski

Phone: (651) 644-0025

E-mail: rachel@mppeace.org

Anne Benson

Phone: (651) 647-0580

E-mail: anne@mppeace.org

Krista Menzel

Phone: (651) 641-7592

E-mail: krista@mppeace.org

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