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Armenian Genocide Banner Returns To West Hartford Green

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  • Armenian Genocide Banner Returns To West Hartford Green

    ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BANNER RETURNS TO WEST HARTFORD GREEN

    Hartford Courant, CT
    April 17 2015

    By Suzanne Carlson

    WEST HARTFORD -- A banner commemorating the Armenian genocide was
    removed from the town green Wednesday, but was replaced by the end
    of the day Thursday.

    Public works Director John Phillips said the banner did not comply with
    town regulations, which require such signs to notify the public of a
    specific event. The banner was modified to include notification of a
    100th anniversary commemoration ceremony at the Capitol in Hartford on
    April 25, sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee
    of Connecticut.

    The banner, which had only included a general message commemorating
    the mass killings of Armenians that began in 1915 under Ottoman rule,
    "slipped through the cracks" and was installed Monday before the
    error was corrected, Phillips said.

    Lauren Varjabedian, commemoration committee chairperson, said the
    group is pleased the banner was to be returned to the town green.

    Because the initial banner was approved by the town and the group
    was not notified of the error, Varjabedian said the banner is being
    modified and reinstalled at no cost to the committee.

    "The town of West Hartford has been great to work with in rectifying
    the situation," Varjabedian said.

    Groups can apply to have a banner displayed on the north end of
    Goodman Green at the intersection of South Main Street and Farmington
    Avenue. Banners may also be placed at the south side of the bridge
    on Park Road over Trout Brook, as well as the town auditorium on the
    day of an event.

    Phillips said town officials and representatives from the genocide
    remembrance committee met Thursday to discuss the issue, and
    Varjabedian said the banner will remain on the town green until Monday.

    The Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut has been
    active for about 15 years. Although the group works with four Armenian
    churches in the state to hold regular programs throughout the year,
    the centennial remembrance is an especially important event for the
    Armenian diaspora, Varjabedian said.

    "We just make sure that we get the word out ... and just really make
    sure that not only the Armenian community is aware but the community
    at large," Varjabedian said.

    The remembrance ceremony at the Capitol is scheduled for 11 a.m. to
    1 p.m. on April 25, with keynote speaker Chris Bohjalian.

    http://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-west-hartford-armenian-genocide-banner-0417-20150416-story.html

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