The Benton County Courthouse Vigil
Ed Epley, an 82-year-old peace activist from Corvallis, Oregon, stands in front of the Benton County Courthouse every day from five to six PM with his 1961 VW bus, which he bought brand new back in the day. Epley joined this vigil a week after it was created in 2001. The vigil's first meeting, which began on October 7, 2001, in accordance to the first US bombing of Afghanistan, took place in front of the courthouse with about 50 people. Now, Ed is one of the few people who still stand out in front of Courthouse every night, helping the vigil reach its name of being the longest lasting daily anti-war peaceful protest in the United States. Most of the people who were part of the original group are gone: some grew too old, some can’t come down due to the cold weather, and some have moved away. Ed, however, continues to stand despite the challenges. Ed Epley, on December fourth, told me he protests in hopes to “keep the issue current to the people here that we still have t