Members of St. Augustine People for Peace and Justice joined some 500 people in Melbourne to make clear our demand that there be no new war in/with Iran. Participating organizations included Veterans for Peace Chapters, Code Pink, NOW, Military Families Speak Out, Melbourne Food Not Bombs as well as many others from around the State. A couple of brief showers interrupted the speeches but only seemed to fuel the enthusiasm of the children present. Two counter protesters made an appearance and seemed a bit lonely on the far side of the street so members of the march joined them periodically keep their spirits up. They disappeared with the onset of the first shower. It seems the message on the sign, "Give War A Chance," is only for good weather.

Report from event organizer Jefff Nall:

As early as an hour before the start time, citizens teemed into Front Street Park in preparation for the demonstration carrying hand-painted signs, banners, flags, and drums. There the Melbourne Drum Tribe energized activists with a drumbeat for peace. Two media outlets were on hand along with several citizen journalists to witness the nations largest demonstrations on the Iran question since 1,000 marched in New York City on August 2. At 2:45pm participants began marching. The demonstration snaked south and then north along a nearby major thoroughfare, US1/Harbor City Blvd. Further along the march route protestors' forceful demands for peace echoed throughout downtown Melbourne - "If they wont give us peace/ we'll take it to the streets", "What do we want? Peace!, When do we want it? Now!" Shop owners and other onlookers stopped to witness the march which brought together a wide variety of often disparate groups, socialists, Democrats, Ron Paul supporters, Greens; Buddhists, Humanists, Christians, Unitarian Universalists. All seemed to share the perspective that elections are just a small the beginning of social change. Florida Today reporter, Susanne Cervenka reported that among the participants were protestors who had grown dispirited and been inactive as of late. Later protestors arrived at Melbourne City Hall where they weathered scattered showers and listened to a range of anti-war activists, artists, and candidates. The group of speakers represented an increasingly ubiquitous base of opposition to war.