Peace Marchers End Long Trek in Washington
The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament trooped into the nation’s capital today eight months after embarking on a 3,500-mile coast-to-coast journey across the nation’s deserts, mountains and plains.
Saddened that they would soon be saying goodby to each other, the first of hundreds of marchers crossed the Maryland state line into the District of Columbia at noon, headed for a campsite at Catholic University.
The 15-state trek will officially end Saturday with a rally at Lafayette Square, site of a five-year anti-nuclear vigil across from the White House, and a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the Potomac River.
The Great Peace March march--initially called PROPeace, People Reaching Out for Peace--began in Los Angeles on March 1 with 1,200 people toting backpacks, walking shoes, idealism and optimism.
Had Hoped for 5,000
The group had hoped that by the time they reached Washington, their numbers would swell to at least 5,000. But the number of marchers stood only at about 1,000 as they approached the nation’s capital.
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