Potter to Dedicate New Peace Park

A new peace park on the east side of the Steel Bridge will be dedicated on Memorial Day by Mayor Tom Potter and Veterans for Peace.

Ceremonies will begin at noon Monday, May 29, in the Rose Quarter Memorial Coliseum, where the World War II and Korean War memorials are located. Another ceremony will be at the Portland Memorial Peace Park, corner of North Interstate Avenue and Oregon Street.

Following the ceremony at the Coliseum, participants will walk to the Peace Park for a dedication ceremony at 1 p.m. Both venues are handicapped-accessible. Mayor Tom Potter will be the featured speaker.

The Portland Memorial Peace Park was inspired by Realtor Brad Perkins who proposed to the Veterans for Peace last November that a peace park be developed on a site owned by the city of Portland. The veterans group said it would be willing to co-sponsor a park plan designed by Perkins if the city granted permission.

ThePortlandTransportation Maintenance Department approved landscaping plans that include plantings in the shape of a 75-foot peace symbol. A memorial to the suffering of all victims of war is planned when enough money is raised and a design is agreed upon.

Perkins said it was his "vision" to work with a community of volunteers to recognize all casualties of war.

"This has been a process to bring about awareness of the millions of men, women and children that have died in past and present wars and categorized as collateral damage or ethnic cleansing," Perkins added.

Following the park dedication, music will be performed throughout the afternoon.

Sean Lewis, president of the Veterans for Peace chapter and disabled Gulf War veteran, said the veterans were pleased to be a part of the effort to establish and maintain a permanent memorial that would be "a place for contemplation and hope that a lasting peace will prevail in this troubled world."