May 3: Half-Dozen CA Communites Join Nation with Vigils to Mourn Marla Ruzicka

Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC)
http://www.civicworldwide.org <http://www.civicworldwide.org>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 2, 2005

Contact: April Pederson
info [at] civicworldwide.org

Northern California Communities Join in Vigils Throughout the U.S. Will Mourn Aid Worker Marla Ruzicka and Commemorate Civilian Victims of War

From Marla's Hometown of Lakeport, to Laytonville, to Byron, to Kensington/Berkeley, to San Francisco, to Santa Rosa, California; Northern California Communities Inspired by Ruzicka’s Life Will Hold Vigils on Tuesday, May 3

WASHINGTON, DC--More than a dozen communities throughout the United States will hold vigils on Tuesday, May 3 to honor the life and work of Marla Ruzicka and her Iraqi colleague Faiz Ali Salim, who were killed by a car bomb in Iraq on April 16, 2005. The vigils will also commemorate the thousands of civilians who have been killed and injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Marla’s story is one of compassion, and courage, and I think what she would want more than anything is for us to continue her mission and shine a spotlight on victims of war,” said April Pedersen, the US campaign manager of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), the organization Ruzicka founded in April 2003.

Ruzicka created CIVIC to count casualties, provide assistance, and pressure the US government to take responsibility for the innocent civilians harmed by US forces. Estimates of civilian casualties during the Iraq war range from 24,000, according to the Iraq Body Count project, to 100,000, according to study published in the medical journal The Lancet.

In Afghanistan, Ruzicka herself documented 812 civilian casualties (it was only done in 4 provinces); other estimates are as high as 3,000, according to a study by New Hampshire University professor Mark Herold.

"Marla was a tireless advocate for innocent victims of war, and now we have to be tireless advocates for the cause that was closest to her heart. Let's create beautiful vigils throughout the country, raise money on her behalf, and make sure CIVIC’s work is continued," said Pederson of CIVIC.

Northern California Vigils for Marla and Faiz
May 3, 2005

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Lakeport, CA

WHEN: 7:00 PM until 08:00 PM

WHERE: At the corner of 3rd and Main in Lakeport - by the canon.

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Kensington/Berkeley, CA

WHEN: 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM

WHERE: Colusa Circle

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Laytonville, CA

WHEN 6:00 PM

WHERE: Good Food Store 44850 hwy 101

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San Francisco, CA

WHEN: 7:30 PM

WHERE The Women's Building 3543 18th Street @ Valencia
(Memorial)

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Byron, CA

WHEN: 7:30 PM

WHERE: St. Anne Church Camino Diablo Rd. & McCabe Rd.

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Santa Rosa, CA

WHEN: 7:00 PM

WHERE: Courthouse Square Santa Rosa, CA 3rd Street and Mendocino Ave.

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Other May 3 vigils will be held in the following cities and towns: Washington, DC; Asheville, NC; Fairfax, VA; West Bend, WI; Panama City, FL; Grand Prairie, TX; Helena, MT; and Great Barrington, MA.

On May 3 in San Francisco, CA a memorial is planned,
and in Washington, DC a memorial in for Ruzicka is planned for May 14.

For more details about each vigil and local contact
information, go to http://www.civicworldwide.org
<http://www.civicworldwide.org> .
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