Families for Peaceful Tomorrows sponsors

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Boston/ New York: The 9/11 Family Group has announced a Boston-to-New York “Stonewalk”. Taking place from 25 July – 2 September 2004, the walk and speaking events will highlight the human cost of war.

These events will take place while politicians convene in Boston and New
York for pre-election national conventions. Family members of the 9/11
victims will make a statement of solidarity with victims of terrorism,
violence and war from around the world. They will walk from New York to
Boston pulling a 1400-pound granite memorial honouring the “Unknown
Civilians Killed in War”.

The memorial stone, which originated with The Peace Abbey in Sherborn,
Massachusetts, was the centrepiece of an earlier Stonewalk in 1999, when it
journeyed from Massachusetts to Arlington National Cemetery with a call for
recognising civilian casualties alongside their military counterparts.

The Boston-to-New York walk will acknowledge the tragedy that linked the
two cities on 11 September 11 2001. The memorial’s journey will be made
solely by human effort, using no animals or machinery, demonstrating the
power of individuals to “move mountains” for the cause of peace.

The September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of 120 family
members of 9/11 victims, is sponsoring the event in conjunction with The
Peace Abbey, a multi-faith retreat centre. The walk and speaking events
represent the reality that civilian casualties constitute 80 percent of the
deaths in war.

"Terrorism and war are already defining the 21st century," said Peaceful
Tomorrows Co-Director David Potorti, “With both the Democratic and
Republican National Conventions taking place this summer there is no better
time to consider and to call for sensible, effective political policies
which place a priority on principles of democracy and human rights”.

Peaceful Tomorrows is looking for suggestions of places to speak,
suggestions for speakers and sources of food. If you have suggestions or
are interested in walking you can receive updates and join the walk by
contacting stonewalk@peacfultomorrows.org.