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U.S.ARMY METAL KEYCHAINS THROWN FROM PASSING VEHICLE STRIKE ANTIWAR DEMONSTRATORS IN HOMOSASSA
Small Citrus County Peace Group, Including An Army Veteran, Dodge Army Key Rings and Pack Biners, Imprinted with Army Logo, Insignia, and Promotional Army Sayings, Thrown From Passing Vehicle
Incident Reported to Citrus County Sheriff Within One Hour of Attack
Wednesday, June 16, 2010, Homosassa, Florida: Four antiwar demonstrators were the target of a barrage of a thrown U.S. Army promotional key chain attack on U.S. Highway 19 in Homosassa Tuesday evening, from a passing vehicle with two young male adults, yelling verbal insults, striking at least one demonstrator as she protected her head from behind her "Vets For Peace" sign.
Three "Strap Keyring Biners" with Army Logos, Insignia, a 1-800-USA Army telephone number and a "goarmy.com" website were printed on one side, and "ARMY STRONG" was printed on the other side of the three identical metal items thrown at the demonstrators.
The incident was reported to the Citrus County Sheriff's Department by Brian Moore, a Spring Hill resident, who has recently joined the mostly Citrus County peace group from the Homosassa area who demonstrate every Tuesday early evening, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM, in front of Hardee's Restaurant, on the corner of U.S. Highway 19 (3960 South Suncoast Blvd) and W. Grover Cleveland Blvd., across the street from the new CVS Pharmacy store.
Weekly, the Citrus peace group protests the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the intolerable expenses of the ongoing two wars, and the tragic loss of life of both American troops and Iraqi and Afghan soldiers and civilians as well.
One of the four demonstrators, Mary "Scap" Gregory of Homosassa, is a U.S. Army veteran, covering the period right after World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Ms. Gregory was joined by Larry Johansen in holding signs saying "Vets for Peace," and "Honk if you support the troops and want to bring them home now." Another local demonstrator, Harriett Heywood, held a sign that read "Peace Now," while Moore held signs, saying "End the War Now," "Stop Wars for Oil," and a third sign read "Going to War for Mineral Resources is Immoral."
Moore believes the antagonists "may have been U.S. Army recruiters," because of their apparent youthful adult appearance and the fact that "they threw three identical U.S. Army promotional pieces at the demonstrators." The Hernando County activist contends, "How coincidental is that?" Moore added that the metal pieces thrown could have put a person's eye out, and "were a direct assault on the well-being of the demonstrators." Moore told the attending Deputy Sheriff that a similar incident occurred against his antiwar colleagues several years ago in Spring Hill and Brooksville, with the assailant being an army veteran recently returned from a tour in Iraq.
The demonstration location is approximately one mile south of where there is a national guard maintenance location on Venable Avenue, just off U.S. Highway 19, in the direction of Crystal River. Moore speculated that "there may be a connection to the incident."
Deputy Sheriff Tom Peruchi, badge number 638, recorded the confrontation, by telephone, and labeled the case #10060625. The first officer to receive the complaint said the peace group should have reported the incident immediately when it happened and the Sheriff's office could have had a patrol car on the scene quickly to try and locate the fleeing suspects.
Moore is a member of the NatureCoast Coalition for Peace and Justice, and in addition to joining the Citrus peace group's weekly efforts on June 8th and June 15th, the peace coalition, in Hernando County, has recently held similar demonstrations in Weeki Wachee on Saturday, June 5th, against the recent high sea Israeli Attack on a Palestinian Aid Convoy; plus, on Memorial Day, in Weeki Wachee, Monday, May 31st, where the peace group have held ongoing demonstrations against the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ten demonstrators were in attendance at the Memorial Day event (Ginger Wielk, Jerry Cox, Jerry Thackham, Helen Choate, Homer Detwiler of Lake City, George Boone of Zephyrhills, Scap Gregory, Moore and several others) which was later reported in a column by a St. Petersburg Times writer, Dan DeWitt.
Following are several links to a similar model of a type canvas strap promotional keychain carabineer:
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442619335&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302697507&bmUID=1276643130297
http://www.discountmugs.com/nc/keychains/1530/metallic-color-carabiner-with-strap.htm
*Translation provided by babelfish.altavista.com