Peace group to mark bombing of Hiroshima

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Goot

Schenectady Neighbors for Peace will conduct a program tonight to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945.

The group will first march across the Western Gateway Bridge from Schenectady to Scotia. The program will begin at 6 p.m. at Collins Park near Jumpin’ Jacks.

Anita Paul, one of the coordinators of the event, said people are encouraged to wear solemn attire for the occasion.

“We will be dressed in the color of mourning — black for the Western Hemisphere or white for the Asian color of mourning,” she said.

People are also encouraged to bring banners, signs and placards.

Paul said the group is also calling for an end to nuclear weapons, a reduction in the number of American nuclear warheads and an end to using depleted uranium as shell casings.

The United States should no longer have a large stockpile of nuclear weapons, Paul said. Russia is not an enemy anymore. U.S. officials say Iran is a potential threat but its best missile only goes about 1,200 miles, she said.

Paul said America should pay other countries to eliminate their nuclear warheads if they cannot afford to do it themselves.

“That would make us all safer. Bombs won’t make us safer. Helping the world get rid of them, that will make us safe,” she said.

The group will cross the bridge to Schenectady and then walk back to Freedom Park in Scotia. The event is expected to last until 7:15 p.m. For more information, contact Paul at 374-2166. The rain date is Aug. 13.

This Scotia event is part of a series of commemorations sponsored by Upper Hudson Peace Action going on in the Capital Region

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be a reading of John Hersey’s book “Hiroshima” at West Capitol Park between the state Capitol building and the Alfred E. Smith Building. To read or for more information, contact Dan Wilcox at 482-0262 or [email protected]