 "Photo: John Lucas")
Austin residents held picket signs stating "violence begets violence" and "peace begins in your heart" as they trekked from the Capitol's southern steps to City Hall on Saturday.
The Peace Alliance, a nationwide citizen action group, organized the peace march. The march was the alliance's first in Austin, District Coordinator Leslie McCulloch said.
"I believe peace is possible, but it's a step-by-step process," said UT alumna Barbara Roth. "This is a good first step."
McCulloch said the organization's main cause is for the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace.
"We want a cabinet-level department of peace and nonviolence to address violence both nationally and internationally," McCulloch said.
Democratic presidential candidate and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, introduced the action to Congress in his Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act. According to the bill's summary, the Department of Peace would "hold peace as an organizing principle; endeavor to promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights; and develop policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict and structured mediation of conflict."
"Twenty-five cities have passed resolutions," said McCulloch. "When there is a potential international conflict, the Secretary of Peace will be able to say 'Let's take another look here. Have we exhausted all other options?'"
The House bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education on May 18 and remains on the committee floor.
McCulloch said she believes Austin will endorse the resolution, but thinks the city does not know enough about the movement.
The alliance also calls for the creation of peace academies, comparable to military academies, McCulloch said.
The alliance held a nationwide walk on Sept. 15, but Austin did not participate because of a conflict with the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Not many UT students attended the march, which was held during the Longhorn football game against Kansas State.
"I just didn't think about it. I'm not that big of a football fan," McCulloch said. "We had originally thought of other days, but they were the start of Ramadan and Yom Kippur."
Students from Southwestern University in Georgetown drove into Austin for the march.
"We're here to spread awareness about the movement," said Rob Atkinson, facilitator of the Student Peace Alliance at Southwestern University. "People don't know that they can make a change, but this has shown me how I can make a big difference."
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