Sept. 5 rally in support of Marine Stephen Funk
CHICAGO, September 5 (CIMC) -- Nearly 50 protesters participated in an early evening rally on Chicago's north side, at the corner of Halsted and Roscoe, in support of Marine Corps Lance Corporal Stephen Funk. The twenty-one-year-old Funk, a conscientious objector who is also openly gay, faces a two-year prison sentence for refusing to participate in the U.S. war on Iraq.
The rally's sponsors included the antiwar activist groups Refuse and Resist, Not In Our Name, and International ANSWER, as well as Queer to the Left and the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network. Bob Schwartz of the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network served as the moderator of the 75-minute-long rally. Representatives of each of the sponsoring groups took turns speaking at the rally, explaining the reasons for their support of Funk.
Funk currently faces a military tribunal in New Orleans. Contributions for Stephen Funk's legal defense can made payable to Stephen Funk Legal Defense Fund, 1230 Market Street #111, San Francisco, CA 94102.
Afterword: Stephen Funk was found guilty and given a six-month jail sentence.