PORT ANGELES — The Arlington Northwest display will not be in town Saturday
A rally sponsored by the Clallam County Peace Coalition and the Green Party remains scheduled for noon at Veterans Memorial Park, 217 S. Lincoln St., in recognition of the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq on Tuesday
A candlelight vigil at Veterans Memorial Park is also planned at 7 p.m. Monday.
Arlington Northwest, a display of 3,195 plastic grave markers symbolizing U.S. military deaths in Iraq, was to be set up east of Valley Creek Estuary Park on land owned by Harry Dorssers, but Dorssers rescinded permission for it on Friday.
The city had rescinded a permit for use of the park on Thursday and issued a new one on Friday for use of the pavilion on the park — without markers stuck into the ground.
The display is created by Chapter 32 of Veterans for Peace in Seattle, in conjunction with the Evergreen Peace and Justice Community, said Nelson Cone, of the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, which invited the group to bring its memorial.
The memorial was canceled because there was no place to put it, said Cone.
EARLIER REPORT:
PORT ANGELES – An anti-war display slated for Saturday in conjunction with the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war will go on after all.
Confusion over whether the property slated for the demonstration was part of the Valley Creek Estuary Park threatened to derail the Arlington Northwest display on Thursday.
But the placement of 3,195 plastic grave markers symbolizing U.S. military deaths in Iraq on property just east of the park on Front Street will continue as scheduled on Saturday.
The display will be the destination of a march after a rally beginning at noon at Veterans Memorial Park, 217 S. Lincoln St.
Members of the local Chapter 139 of the national Veterans for Peace organization announced plans Thursday to place the grave markers at Valley Creek Estuary Park.
But they were just slightly off in their geography.
The land they were eyeing for the display was not park land, but rather private land just east of it.
Cllallam County records indicated it was owned by the Port of Port Angeles.
But, port officials told organizers that the property was sold to European developer Harry Dorssers in September.
They also noted that an adjacent parcel to the north belongs to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Nelson Cone, a member of Chapter 139 of Veterans for Peace, said Thursday afternoon that Dorssers had given not only his permission for the display but also his encouragement.
“Dorssers said, ‘I hope it is successful,'” Cone said, adding he sees no problem getting permission from Natural Resources either.
Since the display no longer would be located on city property, the city permit to use the park for it was rescinded.
The city permit application will be resubmitted to include use of the pavilion area at the park if it is needed, Cone said.
No permit has been necessary for previous peaceable assemblages such as the one planned at the park after the display is put up, he said.
