Protecting civil liberties
On Thursday, Christmas Eve, I took a few peace signs and peace leaflets “Merry Christmas — Peace on Earth, Good Will to All” to hand out at the downtown Hilo Post Office.
Malu Aina has conducted a weekly Friday Peace Vigil at the Hilo Post Office since the day after Sept. 11, 2001. The Peace Vigil was now in its 1,004th week. I thought there would be more people passing by on the afternoon of Christmas Eve than on Friday, Christmas Day, though we planned to conduct our Friday Peace Vigil as usual. I set up a few peace signs on the grass alongside the sidewalk outside the Post office (Hilo Peace vigil, Aloha not War, Peace on Earth for All, Stop Bombing Pohakuloa, Don’t Glorify war).
Within a few minutes a Post Office security guard came by and said “It’s Thursday, not Friday. You can’t have signs on the grass.” And he said that I will have to start requesting a weekly permit for our continuing Friday Peace Vigils, even though we got a permit nearly 20 years ago. Anyway I wished the guard Merry Christmas, and offered him a peace leaflet, which he refused. I moved the signs to the sidewalk and handed out about 100 to 150 leaflets from a basket on the end of my fishing pole for social distancing. We welcome people to join the ongoing Friday weekly peace vigils from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the downtown Hilo Post Office. Come for five min or the entire vigil. Senior citizens are welcome to bring a chair and sit under a shade tree. But be forewarned — you too may be told to get off the grass. Mahalo.
Jim Albertini
Founder, Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education and Action
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