Various organizations from NIU and the DeKalb area will hold a solidarity sit-in and candlelight vigil today in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. The sit-in will he held at noon at the King Memorial Commons and the candlelight vigil will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the corner of 1st Street and Lincoln Highway.

The Dove Coalition, the Northern Coalition for Peace and Justice and the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice are asking students and supporters to show their desire for a non-violent response to the terrorist attacks. The sit-in and candlelight vigil will coincide with anti-war protests occurring during the weekend in Washington, D.C.

Dove Coalition president Kim Conrad said the event was organized to let people who are against war to come out and unite for peace.

“We’ve been increasing our knowledge about nationally what’s been going on with the peace movement,” Conrad said. “We wanted to show that activists and just people in general in the DeKalb community are against this war as well.”

Melissa Prentice, Dove Coalition vice-president, said many people are influenced by what they are seeing on TV.

“There are a lot of people on campus and in the DeKalb area and in the country as a whole who are taking a hawkish attitude toward the terrorist attacks,” Prentice said. “And I think that this is greatly influenced by the media and the government and we just want to provide an alternative to show that there are a lot of people who want a peaceful resolution.”

All students, faculty and community members are being asked to join the various organizations in the peaceful demonstrations. Attendees are asked to bring a white taper candle to the vigil, although candles will be provided for those who need them.

“We wanted to make sure that this was a safe place for people to express their desire for a non-violent response,” Conrad said. “I know there are a lot of people who are intimidated by the hawkish images that they are seeing and they feel uncomfortable expressing their dissent and we wanted to provide a big mass area where people can be safe and express that they do not agree with launching a military attack.

“What we’ve seen now with this terrorist attack is a horrible loss of lives. It’s a tragedy, and by launching a military attack and rushing into a war in response, I fear that we are going to see many more deaths and many more tragedies and we feel that violence, like mass murder, is never justified no matter whose soil it’s on.”