Letter: Exercise your First Amendment rights while we still have them

Dear Editor,

Many of you have probably seen a few people on the south side of the courthouse square on Monday afternoons with signs promoting one social justice cause or another. I would like to explain the history of this action and why it is taking place.

After the invasion of Iraq in 2004, a local organization called Tioga Peace and Justice was formed. The driving force for the organization was Rev. Len Bjorkman, a retired Presbyterian minister, who had been a social justice advocate throughout his career.

The group conducted a number of programs revolving around social justice, militarism, and the environment. This group evolved into Residents Against Fracking Tioga (RAFT), which has further evolved into Residents Allied for the Future of Tioga. This last reiteration still exists but is not doing much in the way of public programming.

One of the ongoing actions taken by the Peace and Justice group was a weekly vigil in front of the courthouse. This was done on quite a regular basis for a good number of years but has since gone by the wayside.

With the turnout for “No Kings Day” and “Resistance Day” and the general state of the country and the world, I felt that it was time to revive this particular action. Sometime in July, I stood in front of the courthouse with a sign that read “Peace in the Middle East” on one side and “Peace on Earth” on the other. I was joined by a couple of my “radical” friends from Newark Valley, and a fourth person joined the group. I have another sign that reads, “Books Not Bombs” and “We are the 99%.”

The outpouring of people for “No Kings Day” was very encouraging, but whether this can be translated into meaningful reform is still a question mark. Nonetheless, it is important to let people know that there are issues that need to be addressed and promoted more than once every four to six weeks. We are living in a very crazy and disconcerting time period, and there will be an army of historians over the next century trying to analyze and understand the Good Ol’ U.S. of A. in the first quarter of the 21st century.

We initially gathered from 4 to 5 p.m. each Monday, although for the time being, we have moved it back half an hour. Exercise your First Amendment rights while we still have them. Remember: democracy is not a spectator sport. What better way to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday and keep alive the principles of the Founding Fathers?

Sincerely,

Edward Nizalowski

Newark Valley, N.Y.