by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Student Danila Crespin said she wanted an inoffensive way to remind people of the sacrifices U.S. soldiers have made in Iraq.
In order to do that, Crespin and about five other students handed out daisies to passersby in front of the UNM Bookstore on Friday.
"There's a lot of protests going on, and there's people getting in people's faces. It's all Democrat and Republican," she said. "I think our stance on it is just a little bit more, 'We think one thing, and you think another. We're just going to give you a flower and ask you to think about our men - the men and women who have died.'"
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The event was organized by a group called Students Daised for Peace, which Crespin founded last Tuesday. She wants to hold the event every month, until soldiers are brought home from the Middle East, she said.
Student George Evans was handed a flower as he walked by.
He said the event was a great idea.
"They're getting a point across with hippie flowers," he said.
The flowers had cards on them that said, "All we are saying is give peace a chance."
Evans said the event would have been more effective if students handed out statistics about casualties in Iraq instead of flowers.
The group hung lists of U.S. casualties in the war on a fence near their table.
Student Allison Pierce appreciated the group's efforts, she said.
"I think it's awesome that they're taking time out of their day to come do this," she said. "It's a good way to get the message across."
The event was a good alternative to anti-war marches, she said.
"It's definitely original," she said. "It's just a peaceful way to do it."
Crespin got the idea from a photograph of anti-war protesters during the Vietnam War sticking flowers in the barrels of soldier's rifles, she said.
She hopes future events will encourage nonpartisan discussion about the war, she said.
"I think it's very important, because I don't want people to feel like they can only take a flower from us, or only sit down and talk with us, if they're a very liberal Democrat," she said. "Everybody has a side on an issue for a reason, and we're not here to try to sway anybody. It's just a flower, and it's just to reflect - just to make people think about the men that are dying in different countries."
The flowers were donated by local businesses, including Albuquerque's Favorite Floral and Flowers Unlimited.
The group is not a chartered ASUNM group, but Crespin wants to get it chartered in the future, she said. Although the only activity of the group is handing out flowers, Crespin is open to more ideas, she said.
"For now, this is what we're doing," she said. "But who knows, in the future maybe we'll do marches or other things - all peaceful, hopefully."
