The figures in Fremont's "Waiting for the Interurban" sculpture were hooded yesterday, a reference to the recent prison-abuse photos from the war in Iraq. (May 17, 2004) Photo Credit: Mike Urban/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The figures in Fremont's "Waiting for the Interurban" sculpture were hooded yesterday, a reference to the recent prison-abuse photos from the war in Iraq.

A witness said the hoods were placed on the statues around noon. A chair next to the sculpture was also wired with jumper cables to look like an implement of torture, and a sign was duct-taped to a statue's leg announcing weekly peace vigils at Green Lake.

At one such vigil yesterday afternoon, about 120 protesters carried signs, and four wore black hoods similar to those placed on the Fremont sculpture. Organizers also stuck more than 700 small white crosses in the ground to represent the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since the war began.

The Fremont sculpture, however, provided the day's most provocative anti-war statement. One man, who asked not to be named, said the hoods were like a punch to the kidneys. He said he felt the message was too strong following on the heels of the graphic photos that revealed torture and humiliation at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

But several drivers who stopped at the intersection approved of the message. One driver, Ono Lagattolla, said the hoods sent a "pretty powerful message" because the torture could be happening to anyone.

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