Something interesting has been going on at the corner of Roxbury and 15th in White Center lately, and I'm not talking about the toilet paper price war raging between local drugstore giants.

For the last several months a small group of local folks has been gathering every Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock at this busy intersection to peacefully protest the Iraq war. Their signs present an eclectic mix of messages to the motoring public, ranging from "Make Love Not War" (my personal favorite) to a sign bearing a large portrait of Martin Luther King.

The sight of protesters roaming the streets of say, the U District or Capitol Hill, shouldn't surprise anyone. But White Center? Little ol' working class White Center? What gives?

As a local resident and sometime protestor myself I decided to infiltrate the group (it wasn't hard) and ask some of these folks why they had chosen to take their stand in my little town.

"Why not White Center?" asked Marjorie Prince, a longtime activist. "This is where I live too. This is my neighborhood."

Marjorie's friend John Repp, another regular at the Wednesday protests, got involved through her. "When Marjorie and her husband Gary started a vigil in White Center, I wanted to support them, so I started coming out here too. I used to live in White Center and still live pretty close, in Arbor Heights." (Ha! I knew it: an outside agitator!)

Another protest regular, Kris deLancey, sees a clear connection between this community and a war going on 7,000 miles away. "Actually, the war in Iraq affects White Center in a very direct way," she said. "Because so much money from the federal budget is going to this war the government has had to make huge cuts in social services. I live in West Seattle (Aha! Another outside agitator!) but I taught school in the White Center community for many years and I've seen how these cuts have affected this neighborhood."

The Wednesday protests seem to be getting a generally favorable reception from the locals. There is the occasional verbal assault or thumbs-down from a passing motorist of course, which is to be expected. But those who disagree usually do so politely, sometimes even directly approaching the group on the sidewalk to discuss their feelings about the war. Kris stressed to me that the majority of responses she's had are supportive of the group's anti-war message. "Lots of honking, waving, thumbs up and people shouting, 'You got that right!' (in reference to our signs) etc."

John related an especially poignant encounter: "One time an Iraqi man, who'd lost many friends in the first Gulf War, stopped and thanked us for what we were doing. He said he was going back to visit Iraq for the first time since 1991 and promised that when he got there he'd tell people about the folks here, in this country, who are against the war."

What does the group think lies ahead for Iraq?

Marjorie: "We're trying to put pressure on the government to bring our troops home now! What lies ahead for Iraq [if U.S involvement continues] is more slaughter of Iraqi civilians, more killing and maiming of our troops.... more environmental destruction and more draining off of tax dollars needed here in our community."

John: "I hope for an end soon since I think the majority of Americans and our soldiers are opposed -but I fear it will be a long war. Our rulers don't want to admit that they were wrong. No one wants to admit that they 'lost' the war -so they just keep trying to fight it forever."

Kris: "I want our military and corporate contractors out of Iraq by the end of 2006. If all the citizens of this country who believe that we don't belong in Iraq would join together and act upon those feelings we could end this occupation."

Usually between six and ten folks show up every Wednesday and after an hour of hearty protesting they decamp to nearby Caf/ Rozella to discuss strategy. Although most of the protestors belong to a group called "West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice" (http://groups.snowcoalition.org/westseattle/)" that's not a requirement to participate in the weekly protest. It's not even required to bring your own placard, since John, consummate activist that he is, usually brings plenty of extras along in his pickup truck. According to the group the only requirements to join the protest are that you be against the war, that you be committed to non-violence and that you be willing to stand up for your principals with some like-minded folks from the 'hood.

David Preston is a local freelance writer and can be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com