The Declaration of Peace

Report and News Articles on March 12, 2008 “Ghosts of the Iraq War” Action at U.S. Capitol

Friends,

Members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR] again went inside the U.S. Capitol with a message to end the funding of the Iraq War. On September 20, 2007, thirty four NCNR activists did a die-in at the Capitol Crypt to plead with Congress to stop funding an illegal occupation of Iraq.

This time, on Wednesday, March 12, 2008, NCNR members went into the gallery of the U.S. Senate as Ghosts of the Iraq War. Four of the Ghosts, Ellen Barfield, Joy First, Linda Letendre and Eve Tetaz, were not released from custody, while six other ghosts, Maria Allwine, Tim Chadwick, Judith Kelly, Art Landis, Max Obuszewski and Manijeh Saba were finally released early Thursday morning. During the incarceration, Art Landis, who has a history of mini-strokes, and Eve Tetaz, who suffers from glaucoma, were hospitalized. The whereabouts of Barfield, First, Letendre and Tetaz were unknown, as U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police refused to inform supporters where they were being held.

All ten of us were scheduled to be arraigned at 10:30 AM on March 13 in Courtroom C-10 of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The defendants are facing a charge of disorderly conduct/disruptive conduct, which carries a possible sentence of six months in jail and/or a $500 fine. No explanation can be given why some were held, and others were released.

The Ghosts of the Iraq War was a great action. We were on C-Span until someone in the Senate pulled the plug. Then Capitol Police organized against the media to try to prevent any coverage of the resistance.

Thursday, March 13 was agonizing. The six of us who received citation release around midnight were ordered to appear in court at 10:30 AM. We found out around 11:30 AM that they would not hear our case until the afternoon. Actually what the government did was to take every other case before the gallery ghosts. The intent was to clear the courtroom except for the protesters and our supporters.

Ellen Barfield, Joy First, Linda Letendre and Eve Tetaz were brought from the lock-up at 7 PM. The other six were called around 7:20 PM. The government wanted to detain many of us, but Judge Eugene McCarthy would not agree. Some of the defendants were given stay-away orders from Capitol Hill.

We have a status hearing date on May 27, and the plan is to opt for a jury trial. The six ghosts who violated probation could also be called back to court for a show cause hearing. More details of the action and its aftermath, along with government misconduct, will be forthcoming.

Kagiso, Max Obuszewski

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http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8VC2OS81&show_article=1

War Protesters Arrested in Senate

Mar 12 03:15 PM US/Eastern

Anti-war protesters chant “war criminal” at Condi Rice during hearing on Capitol Hill. Later more protesters took the protest inside the Capitol’s Senate gallery.

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Capitol Police arrested 10 war protesters who began shouting in the Senate gallery Wednesday.

The protesters were quickly hustled into a hallway and out of the view of reporters. They had chanted, “The war is immoral! Stop funding the war!”—as police officers grabbed them and physically removed them from a visitors gallery overlooking the Senate floor.

The demonstrators wore gauze shrouds over their heads and black shirts that read, “We will not be silent.”

One member said they represented the “National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance.”

Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas was speaking during debate on the federal budget when the protest broke out. She stopped talking while the protesters were removed.

Outside the chamber, police ordered reporters to leave the public hallway where authorities were detaining the protesters. An officer could be heard reporting that there had been 10 arrests in the incident.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

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Protesters halt Senate business

By Alexander Bolton and J. Taylor Rushing

Posted: 03/12/08 03:04 PM [ET]

Anti-war protesters shut down Senate proceedings momentarily Wednesday afternoon by chanting slogans that disrupted a debate over the budget resolution.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) was speaking on the Senate floor at 2:20 p.m. when the group began chanting, “We are from the National Campaign for Non-Violent Resistance” over and over.

Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (N.D.), who was managing debate for the Democrats, asked the sergeant at arms to clear the disturbance.

U.S. Capitol Police officers removed at least 10 protesters from the Senate chamber after they shouted at lawmakers to stop funding the war in Iraq.

Most of the protesters wore what appeared to be cheesecloth over their faces, giving them a ghostly appearance.

“Stop the dying,” chanted one protester.

Most of the protesters appeared to be middle-aged. One carried a cane and had to be helped along out of the chamber by a security officer.

Capitol Police ordered reporters to clear a hallway adjacent to the chamber. A tense exchange between Capitol Hill reporters and police ensued, with reporters questioning officers for keeping them from the scene.

That brought out Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer, who listened to Capitol reporters complain about being barred from witnessing how police handled the protesters.

Gainer said the episode “unfolded quick,” and that blocking the press from covering the protest was “not the message” the Senate wanted to send. He called the press complaints “reasonable” and “point well-taken.”

“I never would expect our officers to manage the press while they’re engaged in their duty,” Gainer said. “To the extent we were imperfect, we will try to improve.”

The protest halted Senate proceedings for about 10 minutes. When calm was restored, senators resumed the budget debate.

New Resources on Iraq War Spending from Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Jeff Leys of Voices for Creative Nonviolence has published two new resources on Iraq war spending - February 2008.

Q & A: Iraq - Afghanistan War Supplemental

read about it at vcnv.org ~ download it as a PDF ~ download charts only

Assessing House Voting Records on Iraq War Funding

read about it at vcnv.org ~ download it as a PDF

National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Year 2008 Resistance Against the War Update

March 9, 2008 -

Thanks to all of you who were able to risk arrest or to support such protests against the Iraq War. Let us continue to take the risks of peace. This list of appeals, arrests and legal cases is not all-inclusive. Please send additions, corrections and updates to mobuszewski at verizon.net. Included are arrests and pending cases in 2008 and arrests missed from 2007. Please send additions, corrections and updates to

~ Max Obuszewski

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MAY 2008

27—[WDC] Close to fifty Witness Against Torture activists are scheduled to go on trial in Superior Court of the District of Columbia. There were eighty arrests inside and outside the Supreme Court on Jan. 11, the sixth anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Most defendants only provided the police with a name of a Guantanamo detainee and remained in jail until the evening of Jan. 12. Those arrested outside the Supreme Court are facing one count of disorderly conduct making parades illegal, while those arrested inside face an additional disorderly conduct charge against objectionable language. These are federal charges.

The government offered a stet to the arrestees which would place the case in an inactive file for six months. If the defendant was not arrested in the next six months, s/he would have the case dismissed. It was an obvious attempt to quell the resistance movement in D.C. At least two arrestees who did not accept the stet had their cases dismissed.

16—[WDC] Eight activists held in contempt after refusing to pay an assessment fee ordered by Superior Court Chief Judge Rufus King III are scheduled for a show cause hearing. Maria Allwine, Johnny Barber, Michelle Grise, Joan Nicholson, Max Obuszewski, Kay Warren, Bill Wylie-Kellerman and Jerry Zawada were convicted on charges relating to protests on Capitol Hill against war funding on either Sept. 26 or 27, 2006. King found them in contempt on May 11, 2007, and wanted to jail them. They demanded a trial.

So the case was taken up by Judge John Ramsey Johnson, who denied a government motion to jail the activists. Johnson ruled that the contempt case will be continued until after the appeals of the conviction are completed. A decision on the appeals is expected some time in 2008.

APRIL 2008

2—[WDC] David Barrows will be sentenced, after being found guilty of simple assault on Feb. 26 in a bench trial in Superior Court. The accuser, Karen Testerman, a pro-war right-wing homophobe, and the police witnesses failed to tell the truth. Testerman accused Barrows of assaulting her on Sept. 18, 2007 during a pro-war rally in Upper Senate Park. Senators Joe Lieberman, John McCain and Lindsey Graham were among the featured speakers.

2—[WDC] Barrows is also scheduled for trial in Superior Court after being arrested on Sept. 11 during testimony given by Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

MARCH 2008

31—[NYC] A judge will decide on a motion for dismissal in the case of the UN witness against crimes perpetuated by Bush, Cheney & Co. against humanity here and abroad. The motion argues that no crime was committed and that the arrest was illegal. The judge waived the requirement for any defendant, including Linda Letendre, to be present.

26—[Omaha, NE] Two STRATCom/Offutt Air Force Base line crossers are to appear in federal court for a hearing before a magistrate judge. Dagmar Hoxsie and John Bach are facing a charge of criminal trespass for crossing a line at Offutt AFB on Dec. 28, 2007 during the annual Feast of the Holy Innocents. Go to http://www.nebraskansforpeace.org/nepeace/stratcom/index.php. The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine. Since this is Hoxsie’s second crossing, she will probably be imprisoned.

21—[Alexandria, VA] Sr. Margaret McKenna. Aaron Weiss, Tom Lewis, Marcus Melder and Liz McAlister are scheduled for trial at 9 AM in federal court. They were taken into custody after doing a die-in at the Pentagon, as part of the Feast of the Holy Innocents Retreat in Dec. 2007.

7—[WDC] During the Interfaith Witness for Peace for Iraq, forty four members of various faith groups were arrested in the Hart Senate Office Building appealing to Congress to shut off the funding.

7—[WDC] The “Polar Bear 7” returned to Superior Court for reconsideration and/or sentencing. Attorney Ann Wilcox, along with co-defendants pro se, Adam Eidinger and Robert Levitt, were to argue for the “Polar Bear 7.”

On Oct. 22, 2007, during the “No War, No Warming” demonstration, people dressed up as polar bears sang and danced their way on sidewalks outside of the Cannon House Office Building to remind Congress of the connection between war and global warming. The US Capitol Police insisted they disperse, but the “Polar Bear 7” were arrested as they attempted to leave, less than 30 seconds after the first warning to disperse.

Charged with unlawful assembly were Paul “zool” Zulkowitz, Alexis Baden-Mayer, Adam Eidinger, Robert Levitt, Cesar Maxit, journalist William Jordan and Anna Duncun. Jordan and Duncun had their charges dropped at the beginning of the trial. Ariel Vegosen was also arrested, but her case was dismissed before the trial began. Judge Raphael Diaz referred to the defendants as the “Polar Bear 7” and alternatively, as “teddy bears.”

Following a six-day trial, on Feb. 11 Diaz found the “Polar Bear 7” innocent of unlawful assembly, but guilty of a “lesser included” charge, failure to obey a police order. This was another example of a D.C. judge convicting peace activists on flimsy evidence. The government argued that because others were arrested that day, the police had the right to take the bears into custody on the basis of “transferred intent.”

4—[Wausau, WI] Roberta Thurstin and Don Timmerman were convicted of disorderly conduct stemming from a visit to Rep. David Obey’s office on Feb. 26, 2007. The citizens along with Susanna Gilk went to the office seeking information as to how he was going to vote on funding for the Iraqi invasion and occupation. Gilk pled guilty and agreed to do community service.

Thurstin and Timmerman, though, went to trial and were convicted despite the lack of any disorderly conduct and the fact that they were arrested before the office was closed. They were fined $5 and ordered to pay court costs and service costs. It seems that if you convicted in Wisconsin, you must pay a fee to reimburse those who filed the charges as well as court costs. The defendants were ordered to pay $190 despite the fact they are paupers.

2—[Santa Barbara, CA] Larry Purcell, Ed Ehmke and Mary Jane Parrine were arrested protesting Stars Wars testing at Vandenberg Air Force Base. They’re expected to be charged with trespassing and go through the federal court system. In 1983 the first nuclear-capable Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) was tested at Vandenberg and since then the base’s mission has expanded to launching and monitoring orbiting satellites, and managing space surveillance operations.

More than 150 people commemorated the 25th anniversary of antiwar demonstrations at Vandenberg. The group pleaded with members of the Air Force to abandon their posts and join the protest against nuclear weapons.

FEBRUARY 2008

28—[Wheaton, IL] Jeff Zurawski and Sarah Hartfield were to appear at a motions hearing to quash two separate disorderly conduct charges resulting from their May 6th display of a sign reading “Impeach Bush and Cheney — Liars” and an upside-down U.S. flag on the Great Western Trail Bridge over Interstate 355. They originally faced one count of disorderly conduct, but the state’s attorney added charges of reckless conduct and un-authorized display of a sign. The government then dropped two of the charges when the activists refused any plea bargain. However, the state’s attorney added a new disorderly conduct charge. So they are facing two disorderly conduct charges. If their motion to quash, on the basis of a false arrest, is denied, they would be scheduled for a trial date.

25—[WDC] Rev. Lennox Yearwood had his case relating to a war protest dismissed in D.C. Superior Court. However, as he was leaving the courtroom a Metropolitan Police officer gave him a citation to appear in court facing another charge. Details are unclear as to what arrest resulted in a dismissal and what the new citation is about.

15-[Madison, WI] Bonnie Block, Janet Parker, and Joy First were arrested at Hilldale Mall while lying on the floor covered with a white shroud. They were with seven other activists calling attention to the human suffering of the war and occupation of Iraq. This solemn vigil, organized by the Madison Pledge of Resistance, was highlighted by the reading of the names of the dead Iraqis and US soldiers. The arrestees were charged with unlawful trespass which carries a fine of $424.

11—[Tacoma, WA] Peter Ryan, Sky Ogawa Cohen, Jesus Lopez, Jesse Schultz III and Fiona Thompson were scheduled for trial on a charge of failure to disperse while blocking arms shipments going to the port.

11—[WDC] Don Muller, Max Obuszewski, Perry Reeve and Lynn Robinson were to file an appeals brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. However, the federal public defender’s office filed a motion for a 60 day extension. The activists were arrested on the White House sidewalk on Sept. 26, 2005, and later convicted of demonstrating without a permit in three separate trials. The convictions were affirmed by Chief Judge Thomas Hogan.

6—[Duluth, MN] Trespass charges against nine antiwar activists were dismissed. The activists had an appointment in the office of Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) on Sept. 21, 2007, but were denied entry. They were then arrested and jailed for refusing to leave the doorway of the Duluth Federal Building. At the start of their St. Louis County Court trial, a motion for dismissal was filed by the defendants, Jay Newcomb, Joel Kilgour, Emily Gaarder, Ozone Bhaguan,

Kristofer Dubbels, David Boulton, Peter Krause, all of Duluth, Lori Seele of Finland and Nukewatch staffer John LaForge, arguing the police had violated their Constitutional rights to free speech and association, peaceful assembly and the redress of grievances. Judge Gerald Maher granted the motion. A tenth defendant, Bonnie Urfer, also of Nukewatch, ignored court orders and had a warrant issued for her arrest Oct. 31, 2007. The defendants are considering filing a civil suit against the City.

4—[Tucson, AZ] Three anti-torture advocates appeared for trial in federal court facing charges for a Nov. 18, 2007 protest at Ft. Huachuca in Sierra Vista, AZ. Franciscan Fr. Jerry Zawada and Betsy Lamb had been incarcerated since the arrest because of outstanding legal matters in other jurisdictions. They appeared in court in handcuffs. Lamb is awaiting trial for a September anti-war protest outside the office of Rep. Greg Walden, in Bend, Oregon. Zawada has an outstanding bench warrant for failure to appear for a court date in Washington, D.C. The third defendant, Mary Burton Riseley, who was weak with the flu, came to court in a wheelchair.

They faced charges of criminal trespass on a military installation, conspiracy and failure to comply with a police officer. They were arrested outside the gate of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca during a solidarity demonstration with the annual protest at Fort Benning.

A plea agreement was reached in which the military prosecutor agreed to drop the conspiracy charge in return for the defendants agreeing to stipulate to the facts. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Marshall found Zawada, Lamb and Riseley guilty of trespass and failure to obey an officer. Each defendant received a sentence of two years of supervised probation, a $5000 fine or 500 hours of community service. She told the defendants that they could do their community service by participating in demonstrations, handing out leaflets and other legal forms of protest. She also advised them that they could ask for an early end to their probation as soon as they either paid the fine or completed their community service.

1—[Portland, OR] A motions hearing was scheduled to consolidate all the cases relating to an action on Oct. 5, 2006 during a World Can’t Wait march. Ten people were arrested, but Ryan Dunn would later be found not guilty. The others awaiting trial are as follows: Adriane Ackerman, Alex Tinker, Bonnie Tinker, Brent Georgeson, Chris Knudtsen, Colin Jones, Crystal, Paul Forester & Victor Phillips.

JANUARY 2008

29—[WDC] The government was to file a brief in response to the one filed on Dec. 29, 2007 by Mark Goldstone on behalf of Beth Adams, Ellen Barfield, Michelle Grise, Sherrill Hogen, Kathryn McClanen, Joan Nicholson, Max Obuszewski & Eve Tetaz with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. They are appealing convictions related to protests on Sept. 26 or 27, 2006. However the government has requested sixty additional days arguing this is a complicated case.

On Feb. 16, 2007 some 30 defendants who appear before D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Rufus King III are convicted and ordered to pay a $50 assessment fee. One defendant was found not guilty. On Mar. 14, 2007 20 defendants who appear before Judge King facing charges from either Sept. 26 or 27 are convicted and ordered to pay the $50 fee.

29—[Columbus, GA] Eleven activists were convicted of “trespassing on a military base.” On Nov. 18, 2007 they crossed the line unto Fort Benning, the military base which houses the SOA/WHINSEC.

Federal Magistrate G. Malon Faircloth sentenced Ed Lewinson, who is blind, to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. Tiel Rainelli received the same sentence. The other sentences are as follows: Joan Anderson, 30 days and a $500 fine; Ozone Bhaguan, 90 days and no fine; Le Anne Clausen, 30 days and no fine; Art Landis, 30 days and no fine, Chris Lieberman, 60 days and no fine; Diane Lopez Hughes, 45 days and a $500 fine; Gus Roddy, 30 days and a $500 fine; Stephen Schweitzer, 60 days and a $500 fine; and Michelle Yipe, 30 days and a $500 fine.

25—[Madison, WI] Municipal Court Judge Daniel Koval found Bonnie Block, Conor Murphy, Jean McElhaney, Jamie Haack and Joy First guilty of unlawful trespassing at the East Towne Mall. On Nov. 2, 2007 a group of about 25 concerned citizens went to the mall for a die-in organized by Madison Pledge of Resistance. As the names of US soldiers and Iraqis killed in the carnage were read aloud, seven activists were moved to lie down on the floor. Those lying on the floor were covered with a white shroud, and a red rose was placed on top of each body. Two of the arrestees had their case resolved. The other five went to trial.

The judge was sympathetic to the cause, but had an obligation to follow the law noting a 1987 decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which determined shopping malls were private property where speech is limited to what is acceptable to the mall owner. The judge reduced the fine from $424 to $109 and offered 10 hours of community service as an option in lieu of paying the fine.

24—[Albuquerque, NM] The Rev. John Dear was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Don Svet to 40 hours of community service and $510 in fines and court costs to be paid immediately. The judge was quoted at sentencing: “I’m not interested in making a martyr out of you.” Dear and eight others were arrested in the Joseph M. Montoya Federal Building in Santa Fe on Sept. 26, 2006. On Sept. 6, 2007 Dear, Philip Balcombe, Sansi Coonan, Michella Marusa, Martin “Bud” Ryan and Eleanore Vouselas were convicted of failure to comply with official signs and directions. The activists, who had been denied access to Sen. Pete Domenici’s office, wanted to present him with a “Declaration of Peace” to end the war.

Jan Lustig and Bruno Keller offered Alford pleas and were ordered to pay $25 in court processing fees. Jordan McKittrick is a minor, and his case was dismissed. Dear’s co-defendants received varying sentences in Oct. 2007, including suspended prison time, fines and community service. All five are appealing their sentences. Dear received the highest fine and most hours of community service, but he will not appeal. At sentencing, Svet was also quoted as saying, “Mr. Dear, you frankly are a phony. You preach nonviolence but you are the same man who took a hammer and a can of paint against a U.S. aircraft.”

24—[Moyock, NC] Steve Baggarly, Beth Brockman, Mark Colville, Peter DeMott, Mary Grace, Laura Marks and Bill Streit were sentenced after being convicted on Jan. 23 in a jury trial. On Oct. 20, 2007, they were charged with resisting arrest, trespassing and destruction of property at the headquarters of Blackwater USA when they reenacted the Nisoor Square massacre, which happened on Sept. 16, 2007 when Blackwater contractors killed 17 Iraqis. Six of the protesters

were found guilty of second-degree trespassing and of resisting, obstructing and delaying a law enforcement officer. Grace was only found guilty of trespass.

The judge sentenced them to time served. Five of the protestors served five days in jail after their arrest. Marks and Brockman were only in jail one day, but the judge suspended the other four days as long as they stay away from Blackwater property.

In non-jury trials in December, the seven were convicted. However, the trials were closed to the public. The second trial was a result of an appeal of the earlier convictions. A formal complaint from the North Carolina chapter of the ACLU to the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission claims the judge violated the protesters’ constitutional right to a public trial.

23—[Tacoma, WA] Wally Cuddeford was scheduled for trial. He was arrested on Mar. 6, 2007 during public comment time in City Council chambers after he condemned police brutality against war protesters.

22—[WDC] Patrick O’Neil and Eve Tetaz were scheduled to be arraigned on charges relating to an arrest at the White House on Dec. 30, 2007 during the Feast of the Holy Innocents Retreat. That day, the Jonah House donkey joined Mary, Joseph and the Jesus in a walk through Lafayette Park to the White House. There they set up a “Refugee Camp” tent. The donkey was given a ban and bar letter from the District of Columbia.

17-18—[WDC] On Jan. 17, thirty one antiwar activists were convicted in Superior Court of unlawful assembly. Over a two-day period, the defendants were given suspended jail sentences ranging from three to ten days and six months of unsupervised probation. All were ordered to pay at least $50, though for some it is $100, by April 30 to the victims of violent crime fund. Some defendants also received stay-away orders for the Capitol Crypt. A number of defendants had no previous criminal record, yet received suspended jail sentences. This is very unusual in Superior Court. However, there is an attempt underway in D.C. to quell the antiwar resistance. More than half of the defendants have appealed the conviction.

Thirty four people, calling themselves Rivers of Blood, were arrested on Sept. 20, 2007 during a die-in at the crypt of the U.S. Capitol. The police made the mistake of not charging all of the defendants with the same disorderly conduct charge. After both sides rested their cases, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Shapiro realized the discrepancy in the disorderly conduct charges.

The only witness for the government was the “arresting officer.” She was not present for the entire die-in, nor did she individually ask all defendants to leave. She never identified what a single defendant did. Instead her testimony targeted the group. She repeatedly said “many” of them or “some” of them. The defense did not bother to cross examine her, as it assumed her testimony was lacking. While Judge Ann O’Regan Keary dismissed the disorderly conduct charges, her rationale for a guilty verdict for unlawful assembly was that the painted tee shirts worn by the defendants and the Rivers of Blood banner were provocative and a breach of peace. She claimed that the die-in could have caused others to engage in violence. Of course, the government never presented any such evidence.

17—[WDC] Tina Richards, Adam Kokesh and Ian Thompson were scheduled for trial. On Sept. 6, 2007 a police officer rode a horse into the middle of a press conference in Lafayette Park. Several activists were speaking to the media about the urgency of coming out to protest the war on Sept. 15. When Richards and Kokesh pasted up a poster advertising the demonstration, they were arrested. Also arrested was Thompson, an attorney.

14—[Tacoma, WA] Wally Cuddeford, Jeff Berryhill and Caitlan Esworthy were scheduled for trial on a charge of resisting arrest during a blockade of arms shipments going to the port. Berryhill and Cuddeford face the additional charge of assaulting police.

11—[WDC] The U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a conviction for Cindy Sheehan, relating to her arrest during a demonstration on the Pennsylvania Ave. sidewalk outside the White House on Sept. 26, 2005. Three hundred and seventy one activists were arrested that day and charged with demonstrating without a permit. Sheehan and forty-one others appeared for the first trial on Nov. 16, 2005 before Judge Alan Kay. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hartzenbusch was the prosecutor.

When the activist, who lost her son Casey in the Iraq War, tried to explain her intent on being on the White House sidewalk, the prosecutor objected and the judge sustained the objection, claiming that the charge imposed strict liability. After a two-day trial, Kay convicted Sheehan and the other defendants.

Sheehan v. United States, No. 05-MJ-00649, 2006 WL 3756349, was argued on Oct. 16, 2007. The appellant contested the district court’s judgment on five grounds: “1] The First Amendment challenge to the National Park Service Regulations was preserved at trial; 2] the NPS permit requirement is facially unconstitutional under the First Amendment, because it imposes strict liability on protective expressive conduct; 3] there is no evidence of appellant’s mens rea, because the Government prosecuted the case on the premise that strict liability applied and the Magistrate Judge excluded evidence that addressed appellant’s mens rea; 4] the evidence does not show that appellant was ‘demonstrating’ within the meaning of the NPS regulations; and 5] the evidence does not show that appellant knowingly demonstrated without a permit.”

The court rejected the challenge to the constitutionality of the regulations. But it acknowledged the unfairness of the trial: “We reverse and remand for a new trial, however, because appellant was convicted of a crime that does not exist and prevented from offering a viable defense.”

10—[Montpelier, VT] A small group of war protesters briefly took over center stage at Gov. James Douglas’ State of the State address. Minutes into the speech, the activists, including high school students, unfurled banners bearing anti-war slogans. Approximately ten protesters were escorted out by Capitol Police from the House chambers, but not before winning the attention of the overflow audience.

10—[WDC] Mike Ferner, a national officer with Veterans for Peace, was convicted of disorderly disturbing Congress in a jury trial in Superior Court. On Sept. 20, 2007, he and Linda Weiner stood up in the gallery of the House of Representatives and shouted “Congress! Congress! Funding the war is killing our troops. Please stop.” The disposition of Weiner’s case is unknown.

Ferner was fined $100, which he refused to pay. Sent to the D.C. Jail, he was released after serving less than 24 hours.

3—[WDC] In Superior Court, Judge Henry Greene dismissed all charges against activists arrested on Sept. 15, 2007 on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Close to 200 people were arrested, but most paid a citation fine. Only Elliot Adams, Ellen Barfield, Brian Becker, Carla Boccella, Rodney Centeno, Jay Gillen, Sholom Keller, Adam Kokesh, Polly Miller, Shawn Peterson and Rich Reinhart appeared for trial facing a charge of crossing a police line. In trial opening statements, the defendants argued that the police line was unconstitutionally set up, since it was formed to prevent protected speech with no sufficient cause for a time and place restriction, and no crimes were committed as the police helped or pulled protesters across the line.

The government’s case collapsed during the testimony of a Capitol Police officer when it became evident that the government failed to provide adequate discovery to the defense. One of the documents which was withheld included a “police sensitive document related to terrorism.” A motion for judgment of acquittal was granted.

3—-[Des Moines, IA] Twenty five activists intended to occupy Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters until the senator agreed to pledge to bring an immediate end to the war in Iraq and to veto further funding of that war if she is elected president. When Clinton staff saw the group approaching the office, the door to the building was locked. A demonstration was held outside for several hours. When the headquarters staff left to go to the caucuses, the protesters decided to leave. No arrests were made.

2—[Des Moines, IA] Twelve people were arrested during occupations of the campaign headquarters of Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. Four were arrested in Romney’s office: Chris Gaunt, Ed Bloomer, Janice Sevre-Duszynska and Suzanne Sheridan. The eight arrested in Obama’s office were as follows: Vicki Andrews, Diane Haugesag, David Hovde, Dan Pearson, Tom Roddy, Brian Terrell, John Tuzcu and Kathy Kelly.

2—[Arlington, VA] Nine individuals braved 30 degree weather and 20 mph winds to visit Hillary Clinton’s headquarters in solidarity with Voices for Creative Nonviolence’s SoDa POP (Season of Discontent, a Presidential Occupation Project) campaign. Participants carried signs and a mock coffin, and there was a costumed Hillary Clinton as Lady McDeath. Clinton staffers kept the doors closed and put up cardboard along the windows in order to avoid seeing the protesters. There were no arrests.

OCTOBER 2007

24—[WDC] Desiree Fairooz confronted Condoleezza Rice during a House of Representatives hearing, and was arrested. She is facing several charges, including destruction of government property. She has at least one other pending case.

10—[WDC] Pace e Bene board member Rev. Linda Jaramillo and United Church of Christ general minister and president Rev. John Thomas were arrested delivering petition with 60,000 signatures to the White House. They went to the White House gate on Pennsylvania Ave. with a Pastoral Letter on the Iraq War. Thomas, the UCC’s general minister and president, and Jaramillo, executive minister for Justice and Witness Ministries, had earlier sought a meeting with the White House’s public liaison office, in order to hand-deliver the petitions, but their requests were not granted.

After being taken into custody by Park Police, they were given a citation release after paying $100. Earlier, during morning meetings, Thomas and Jaramillo successfully delivered boxes of petitions to representatives of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Minority Leader John A. Boehner.

2 [Waukegan, IL] A judge in the 19th Circuit Court of Illinois dismissed trespassing charges against Jeff Leys stemming from a July 5, 2006 demonstration at the nation’s command center for processing military recruits. Before jurors were picked in the trial, the Illinois State Attorney moved for dismissal of the charge. Referring to the Oct. 1 bench trial before Judge Patrick Lawler which resulted in the acquittal of a reporter arrested with Leys, the prosecutor moved the charge be dismissed. A police officer who was the state’s key witness failed to appear for the reporter’s trial. Presumably he was absent for Leys’ trial.

At the end of a month-long, 320-mile walk from the Illinois capital of Springfield, to the Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM) at the Great Lakes Naval Base, Leys and two other protesters, Ceylon Mooney and Diane Hughes, walked onto the facility’s parking lot, knelt down and began reading a list of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed in the war. The three were taken into custody by military security officers and charged with trespass. It is unknown what happened with the two other protesters.

National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Year 2007 Resistance Against the War Chronicle

I am of the opinion that there has never been a movement in U.S. history with the number of arrests which have taken place in opposition to the Iraq War. This list of appeals, arrests and legal cases is not all-inclusive. Please send additions, corrections and updates to

~ Max Obuszewski

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FEBRUARY 2008

11—[Tacoma, WA] Peter Ryan, Sky Ogawa Cohen, Jesus Lopez, Jesse Schultz III and Fiona Thompson are scheduled for trial on a charge of failure to disperse while blocking arms shipments going to the port.

JANUARY 2008

23—[Tacoma, WA] Wally Cuddeford is scheduled for trial. He was arrested on Mar. 6, 2007 during public comment time in City Council chambers after he condemned police brutality.

16—[Washington, D.C.] Thirty-four peace activists are scheduled for trial on two disorderly conduct charges in Superior Court. They were arrested in a National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance-organized die-in at the Crypt of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 20.

14—[Tacoma, WA] Wally Cuddeford, Jeff Berryhill and Caitlan Esworthy are scheduled for trial on a charge of resisting arrest during a blockade of arms shipments going to the port. Berryhill and Cuddeford face the additional charge of assaulting police.

3—[WDC] Around 20 protesters will go on trial for crossing a police line on Sept. 15 on the

west side of the U.S. Capitol. Close to 200 people were arrested, but the vast majority paid a citation fine.

DECEMBER 2007

29—[WDC] Beth Adams, Johnny Barber, Ellen Barfield, Michelle Grise, Sherrill Hogen, Kathryn McClanen, Joan Nicholson and Max Obuszewski are to file their brief with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. They are appealing convictions related to protests on Sept. 26 or 27, 2006.

On Feb. 16, some 30 defendants who appear before D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Rufus King III are convicted and ordered to pay a $50 assessment fee. One defendant was found not guilty. On Mar. 14, 20 defendants who appear before Judge King facing charges from either Sept. 26 or 27 are convicted and ordered to pay the $50 fee.

17—[Cedar Rapids, IA] Mona Shaw, Lou Hellwig, Ajax Robert Ehl, Kathy Hall, Megan Felt, Lee Mickey, Nyssa Koons, Brian Shearer, Gloria Williams, Brian Terrell and Renee Espeland are to go on trial for trespass. On July 6, they were arrested in Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office. Also arrested was David Goodner, but he pled guilty and paid a small fine.

14—[Omaha, NE] Peg Gallagher, Fr. Jack McCaslin and Jerry Ebner are scheduled for trial, facing a charge of refusal to leave on Oct. 10 during a die-in outside the Strategic Space and Defense Conference.

12—[San Diego, CA] Five members of San Diego Civil Disobedients are scheduled for trial on a charge of trespass after being arrested in Rep. Susan Davis’ office on Sept. 20.

11—[WDC] Don Muller, Max Obuszewski, Perry Reeve and Lynn Robinson are to file an appeals brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The activists were arrested on the White House sidewalk on Sept. 26, 2005, and later convicted of demonstrating without a permit in three separate trials. The convictions were affirmed by Chief Judge Thomas Hogan. So this appeal goes before the U.S. Court of Appeals. Working with a public defender, the appellants have requested a 60-day extension to file their brief.

5—[Denver] Sue Gomez, Arnie Carter and Raphael Egger, who were part of a group of seven who sat in Sen. Ken Salazar’s office on Feb. 21, are scheduled for trial facing charges of trespass and disturbing the peace. The others, William Watts, Nelson Bock, John Scott Foreman and Claire Ryder, pled guilty and were given time served or community service sentences.

4—[Tucson, AZ] Betsy Lamb, Mary Burton Riseley and Franciscan Fr. Jerry Zawada are to be arraigned in federal court, facing charges of criminal trespass on a military installation, conspiracy and failure to comply with a police officer. They were arrested outside the gate of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca, AZ on Nov. 18 during a solidarity demonstration with the annual protest at Fort Benning,

4—[Burlington, VT] Four antiwar activists are expected to be prosecuted. They were arrested with four others on Oct. 22 while sitting in Rep. Peter Welch’s office. It seems recidivists will now be prosecuted in Burlington.

3—[Madison, WI] Seven nonviolent peace activists, Cassandra Dixon, Flo Evans, Joy First, Jamie Haack, Janet Parker, Karin Sandvik and Susan Spahn, are to go on trial after an arrest in front of Senator Kohl’s office on Sept. 7. They were charged with obstructing a sidewalk after putting up crime scene tape around the entrance to the office.

NOVEMBER 2007

30—[Burlington, VT] Thirteen demonstrators were arrested and cited for trespassing at a Army National Guard recruiting office. The protests grew from a campaign by students at Mount Mansfield Union High School in Jericho who object to military recruiters in their school and the requirement that high schools hand over student contact information to the recruiters.

29—[Bath, NY] Five activists, who occupied the office of Rep. Randy Kuhl on Aug. 6 and were found guilty of criminal trespass in September, were sentenced. Mark Scibilia-Carver was sent to jail for 30 days when he indicated he could not pay any fine nor perform community service. Ellen Grady, Todd Saddler, Danny Burns and Chris Tate were ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and to pay $300. However, they informed the judge they would not pay fines or perform community service. He will re-visit the matter after four months. The five plan to appeal their convictions.

28—[Colorado Springs, Co] Officials dropped charges against Eric Verlo and Elizabeth Fineron who were arrested with five other war protesters while marching in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. All seven went on trial in August facing a charge of obstructing a passage or assembly, but there was a hung jury. Immediately afterwards, the city dropped charges against the other five. The seven were marching in the parade under a permit issued to Verlo, but the police removed them because of their antiwar signs. During the arrest, police brutalized Verlo and Fineron.

26—[Ann Arbor, MI] Dr. Catherine Wilkerson is scheduled for trial facing two charges: assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer and attempted assaulting/resisting/obstructing a paramedic. The charges are a result of her intervention on Nov. 30, 2006 after she observed a Univ. of Michigan security guard and later a paramedic mistreating a protester. She was not arrested during the protest. However after she filed a police brutality complaint with City Hall, she was notified of the charges by mail.

During a protest against the Iraq War, as well as an attack on Iran, campus security mistreated and arrested Blaine Coleman, Henry Herksovitz and Kathryn Babayan. The two men were charged with resisting and obstructing an officer and interfering with an arrest. Babayan was charged with disturbing a public meeting and resisting and obstructing an officer.

26—[Cedar Rapids, IA] Michael Rack, Lara Elborno, Kerry Hofferber, Rose Persaud, Jamie Fredericksen and John Paul Hornbeck were scheduled for trial facing a charge of trespass. Along with Chris Gaunt and Daisy Espino, they were arrested on July 6 in Sen. Tom Harkin’s office. Gaunt and Espino later pled guilty and were fined.

16—[WDC] Superior Court Judge John Ramsey Johnson denied a government motion to jail eight peace activists charged with contempt for refusing to pay an assessment fee. Maria Allwine, Johnny Barber, Michelle Grise, Joan Nicholson, Max Obuszewski, Kay Warren, Bill Wylie-Kellerman and Jerry Zawada were convicted on charges relating to protests on Capitol Hill against war funding on either Sept. 26 or 27, 2006. They were held in contempt on May 11, and since then have challenged the government to dismiss the charges. Johnson ruled that the contempt case will be continued until after the appeals of the conviction are completed.

15—Portland, OR] Peter Bergel and Robert Projansky were found not guilty of trespass. On Mar. 16, they tried to visit, along with Michael Glaze, the office of Sen. Gordon Smith. The three were denied entry into the building and arrested. Bergel and Projansky went on trial June 22, but it took almost five months for the judge to agree their First Amendment rights were violated.

15—[WDC] Eda and Mike Uca-Dorn pled guilty to unlawful assembly and incommoding and were sentenced to three months unsupervised probation, 3 days of community service, 5 days suspended sentence and a $50 assessment fee. They were among 60 activists arrested on Oct. 22 during the No War No Warming actions to stop business as usual around Capitol Hill.

11—[Boston] Eighteen antiwar veterans were arrested as they protested the exclusion of their message from the Veterans Day parade. Members of Veterans for Peace lined up in front of a podium at City Hall Plaza holding antiwar placards during a ceremony sponsored by the American Legion. Some protesters wore gags, which they later said symbolized the fact that, while they were permitted to march in the parade, they were prevented from carrying signs opposing the Iraq War. Fifteen men and three women were charged with disturbing a lawful assembly of people.

10—[Olympia, WA] Thirteen anti-war demonstrators were arrested while attempting to block Stryker vehicles used for weapons transports. Olympia Port Militarization Resistance aims to end weapons transports through the Port of Olympia. Dozens of protesters, observers and representatives of the media have been brutalized by the Olympia Police Department. According to a spokesperson on Democracy Now on Nov. 19, there were a total of 66 arrests.

10—[WDC] Eve Tetaz was released from jail after completing her seven-day sentence. On Nov. 2 she pled nolo contendre to three charges resulting from two arrests. Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo did not want to imprison the retired schoolteacher, despite the nolo contendre pleas to two charges of failure to obey a lawful order and a charge of unlawful assembly. However, the determined Tetaz kindly explained she would not do any community service, pay any fines or accept probation. So the judge reluctantly sent her to jail.

On June 29, Tetaz, dressed in the ancient mourning symbols of sackcloth and ashes, stood on the sidewalk in front of the White House and begged for an end to war. The Park Police arrested her and charged her with failure to obey a lawful order. After her release, she headed to the Hart Senate Office Building to try to petition Sen. Hillary Clinton. Again she was arrested, but this time held overnight. This second arrest on June 29, however, was not adjudicated on Nov. 2.

On May 14, Tetaz joined the Mother of a March from the White House to Capitol Hill. Outside the Cannon House Office Building, she, peace moms Cindy Sheehan and Tina Richards, and thirty other antiwar protesters sat down at New Jersey and Independence Aves. While most of the arrestees paid a fine, Tetaz, facing three charges, wanted her day in court. One charge was dismissed on Nov. 2. The only other protester from the May 4 action who went to trial was Joan Nicholson. She was found guilty of two charges on Sept. 4 and ordered to pay $200 in fines, do 40 hours of community service and six months of unsupervised probation. Nicholson does not intend to pay the fines or do community service.

9—[Des Moines, IA] Eighteen activists were arrested in a campaign to make the Iraq War the main issue during the presidential caucus races. “Seasons Of Discontent—A Presidential Occupation Campaign” targeted the campaigns of Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Clinton, taking over their offices.

Staffers in the Giuliani campaign office in Clive, IA waited a mere two hours to call the police to arrest 10 activists. The Clinton campaign waited almost eight hours before requesting the arrest of eight activists in the Des Moines office. The arrest honor roll is as follows: Ed Bloomer, Robert Braam, Elton Davis, Mickey Davis, Ron Durham, Renee Espeland, Joy First, Chris Gaunt, David Goodner, Kathy Kelly, Nick Kinkel, Chrissy Kirchoefer, Jeff Leys, Farah Moktareizadeh, Dan Pearson, Mona Shaw, Suzanne Sheridan and Brian Terrell. .

2—[Madison, WI] Seven peace activists were arrested at East Towne Mall speaking out against the war and occupation of Iraq. The seven were Bonnie Block, Father Jim Murphy, Jamie Haack, Susan Spahn, Conor Murphy, Jean McElhaney and Joy First. They were charged with unlawful trespassing and asked to pay a fine of $424. They intend to go to trial.

1—[La Crosse, WI ] Gail Vaughn, Anita Zibton, and two girls, Zoe Zibton, 13, and Katie Lamb, 12, were convicted of trespassing in Rep. Ron Kind’s office. Only the adults were fined $95, as a result of their May 30 sit-in.

1—[WDC] Susan Crane appeared for trial facing a charge of failure to obey a lawful order, after an arrest with 15 others in an anti-torture protest on the White House sidewalk on June 23. However, the government was not prepared, and the judge granted Susan’s motion for dismissal. Most of the other protesters paid a citation fee, though one did two days of community service.

OCTOBER 2007

30—[WDC] Mike Ferner and Linda Wiener were scheduled for a status hearing after being arrested on Sept. 20 for speaking out from the gallery during a session of the U.S. House of Representatives. They were taken into custody after shouting “Congress! Congress! Funding the war is killing our troops. Please stop.”

24—[WDC] Desiree Fairooz confronted Condoleezza Rice during a House of Representatives hearing, and was arrested. She is facing several charges, including destruction of government property. Also arrested were Medea Benjamin and Lori Perdue. The case against Benjamin was dismissed.

23—[WDC] Leah Bolger was to go to trial in Superior Court facing a charge of unlawful assembly. She was arrested on Sept. 18 with four others during a pro-war rally. She is a retired Navy commander and member of Veterans For Peace.

20—[Great Dismal Swamp, NC] Seven peace activists, Steve Baggarly, Beth Brockman, Mark Colville, Peter DeMott, Mary Grace, Laura Marks and Bill Streit, were arrested at the headquarters of Blackwater USA. While simulating the shooting of Iraqi civilians, they were taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest, trespassing and destruction of property.

17—[Tucson, AZ] Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM, and Fr. Stephen Kelly, SJ were sentenced to five months in prison for attempting to deliver a letter on Nov. 19, 2006 to then-commander Major Gen. Barbara Fast at Fort Huachuca, AZ. The letter denounced torture and the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Once the judge denied the priests any possible defense, they pled guilty to a federal count of trespass and a state count of “Failure to Comply with Police Officer.”

16—[Chicago] Responding to Sen. Dick Durbin’s Oct. 1 vote to provide another $150 billion in war funding, eight staff members of the 8th Day Center for Justice and a friend were arrested after refusing to leave Durbin’s office. In a simultaneous action, five people were arrested in the lobby of the building.

15—[Wheaton, IL] Jeff Zurawski and Sarah Hartfield were to appear at a hearing to face a charge resulting from their May 6th display of a sign reading “Impeach Bush and Cheney — Liars” and an upside-down U.S. flag on the Great Western Trail bridge over Interstate 355. They are charged with disorderly conduct.

12—[Alexandria, VA] Eda Uca, Mike Dorn, Bill Streit, Eve Tetaz, Start Loving and Sr. Margaret McKenna were in court after being arrested at the Pentagon on Aug. 6. Five of them were pinched for planting tomato plants, Loving got busted for leafleting. Dorn and Loving had their cases dismissed. Uca and McKenna pled no contest, and were fined. Streit and Tetaz were found guilty and also fined.

11—[WDC] Beth Friedlan pled guilty to crossing a police line on Sept. 20, which was set up on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. She also pled poverty, but the judge ordered her to pay $100 by Jan. 1. She does not plan to pay.

5—[Des Moines, IA] Frank Cordaro was given a thirty-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to criminal trespass. Aaron Glynn, a senior at Hoover High School, and Renee Espeland also pled guilty and were fined $300. On Sept. 21, they were part of a Students Beyond War occupation with Amanda Hicks, 17, Abby Olson, 17 and Reetzi Hughes, 14, Espeland’s daughter, to urge Sen. Charles Grassley to stop voting to fund the occupation. Charges were dismissed against these three students.

SEPTEMBER 2007

27—[WDC] A bench warrant was issued for Cindy Sheehan who failed to appear for arraignment to face charges of unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct, related to her arrest on Sept. 10 inside the Cannon House Office Building. Her sister Dede Miller was also arrested when the two of them urged the Capitol Police to stop beating Rev. Lennox Yearwood. Yearwood was denied entry into the hearing at which Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker were to present an Iraq progress report to the House Armed Services Committee. The Rev. was originally charged with assault, but that charge was dismissed. He is facing at least one other charge. It is believed eight members of Code Pink, including Mona Hall and Desiree Fairooz, were arrested inside the hearing.

25—[Portland, ME] Lobbyists went to Rep. Tom Allen’s office to deliver letters seeking his support for impeachment. Eight were arrested, and seven of them paid a $40 bail bond and were released. Kathe Chipman refused to pay the bail and spent the night in jail. The eight were never charged with a crime.

25—[New York City] About a dozen antiwar protesters, including Ben Maurer, were arrested protesting George W. Bush’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly. .

21—[Chicago] Three people were arrested in Sen. Dick Durbin’s office.

19—[Portland, OR] Genny Kortes, Troy Horton, Reverend Lynn Smouse-Lopez and Tom Hastings were arrested for trying to enter the office of Sen. Gordon Smith and deliver their message to stop funding the war. The four were later sentenced to community service.

18—[WDC] U.S. Senators Joe Lieberman, John McCain and Lindsey Graham were among the featured speakers at a rally held in Upper Senate Park on Capitol Hill. Before the rally concluded, Leah Bolger, David Barrows, Christine Rainwater, Anne Kitridge and Anne Katz were arrested. Barrows spoke out while Lieberman was speaking. While in custody, he discovered one of the charges was for assault of a Gold Star mother, which he denies. Katz was reading the Constitution, and this caused her arrest.

17—[Sacramento, CA] Ten constituents, including four vets and a mother of a soldier in Iraq, are arrested in the office of Rep. Doris Matsui, where they had gone to urge her to sign a Declaration of Peace.

14—[Bend, OR] An antiwar rally outside the office of Rep. Greg Walden ended with a street blockade. Police ordered protesters to leave the street. When Betsy Lamb did not, she was arrested for disorderly conduct.

11—[Fairbanks, AK] Rob Mulford found the courtroom door locked. It was eventually discovered his case had been dismissed. Rob, Seth Warncke and Don Muller had been arrested on Feb. 20 for trespass in Sen. Ted Stevens’ office. While Warncke’s case would also be dismissed, Don would be convicted on Apr. 19 and jailed.

7—[East Hampton, NY] Misdemeanor obstruction and disorderly conduct charges were dropped against five people arrested on Apr. 17, 2006 during an anti-war protest on Tax Day. There were 13 postponements in the case. The defendnats agreed not to sue the township after changes were made in the issuing of protest permits.

6—[Santa Fe, NM] A federal judge found six citizens, including Rev. John Dear, guilty for trying to visit the office of Sen. Pete Domenici on Sept. 26, 2006. They were to be sentenced a few weeks later. The judge ignored the fact that the police shut off the power to the elevator in the federal building to prevent citizens from lobbying an elected official.

6—[WDC] A police officer rode a horse into the middle of a press conference in Lafayette Park. Several activists were speaking to the media about the urgency of coming out to protest the war on Sept. 15. When Tina Richards and Adam Kokesh pasted up a poster advertising the demonstration, they were arrested. Also arrested was Ian Thompson, an attorney.

5—[Juneau, AK] Rob Mulford’s charge of criminal trespass was dismissed. He had been arrested on Mar. 13 at the entrance of the federal building before he could go to Rep. Don Young’s office to lobby against the war.

AUGUST 2007

21—[Hammond, IN] Sen. Birch Bayh finally met with antiwar constituents. On May 5, Northwest Indiana Code Pink called a demonstration outside the federal courthouse, where Bayh has an office, in an attempt to get a meeting with him. Sue Eleuterio knelt outside the senator’s locked office. Tears streaming down her face, she read the names of Iraq war dead until she was charged with failing to follow directions. Trial was set for late August, but the case was dismissed.

10—[Denver] Carolyn Bninski began to serve a 35-day sentence, including work release to continue her job as coordinator of the Rocky Mountain Center for Peace and Justice in Boulder. On Mar. 8, she was arrested in Rep. Mark Udall’s office along with David Krest, Duke Austin, Eric Bonds and Rob Ketterhagen. They were charged with trespass and unlawful assembly. Bninski, the only one with prior convictions, refused an offer of 60 days in jail in return for her plea. She was convicted on July 27, and sentenced to 365 days in jail and a $1000 fine, with 330 days and $500 suspended.

9—[WDC] During the annual Faith & Resistance Retreat, three participants were arrested on the White House sidewalk. While commemorating the bombing of Nagasaki, Steve Miller, Keeley Coleville and Jay McGinley were taken into custody. They would be incarcerated, and arraigned the following day. They pled guilty and paid a fine.

8—[Los Angeles] Six demonstrators were arrested at the office of Rep. Loretta Sanchez after camping there overnight and telling her they wouldn’t leave unless she promised not to approve more funding for the war in Iraq. Pat Alviso, Robert Dietrich, Edward Garza, Jarrett Lovett, Abraham Ramirez and Tutrang Tran were charged with trespass.

6—[Fairport, NY] Three women were charged with trespass on private property while standing outside the building housing Rep. Randy Kuhl’s office.

JULY 2007

23—[Chicago] Christian Peacemaker Team trainees enacted a mock trial of Sen. Dick Durbin inside his office. They demanded a final piece of evidence that would acquit or convict the senator. Would he approve funds for life, or for more war in Iraq and Afghanistan? The eight actors—Sr. Paulette Schroeder, Martin Smedjeback, Jushua Hough, Jessica Frederick, Sr. Jean Fallon, Charletta Erb, Rachel Cloud and Denis Murphy—were charged with trespass.

23—[WDC] Cindy Sheehan and forty-five others were arrested inside and outside Rep. John Conyers’ office after he refused to initiate impeachment proceedings. Most of those arrested paid a $50 post and forfeit citation.

Four women who wanted to plead not guilty misunderstood the Capitol Police and were jailed. After suffering abuse while incarcerated, they pled guilty at an arraignment and paid a fine. One of them, Manijeh Saba, has decided to file a lawsuit for mistreatment while in police custody: “1) attempt by a police officer to watch me using the women’s room; 2) handcuffed to a bench and wall for hours; 3) kept in extremely cold conditions; 4) food deprivation; 5) sleep deprivation; 6) shackled in metal ankle-cuffs and chains for about 11 hours; 7) handcuffed with chain belt in preparation for arraignment; 8) having to agree with the increased charges and “plea bargain” under duress; and 9) threat by the judge to send us back to the jail if we did not pay the fines right there, while he knew they had no access to any money.”

21—[Tulsa, OK] Charges are dismissed against nine demonstrators, including Billie Letts, arrested during a visit of Dick Cheney. There were 11 arrests, but two pled no contest.

18—[Baltimore] The government decided to dismiss charges against Maria Allwine and Max Obuszewski relating to their arrest on Oct. 7, 2006 when they were demonstrating in the parking lot of the National Security Agency at Fort Meade. They were charged with disturbance in protected property, failure to comply with a police officer and entering a military installation for an unlawful purpose.

18—[WDC] Thirteen Witness Against Torture activists were found guilty in U.S. District Court. On Apr. 18, fifteen people wearing orange jumpsuits were arrested on the White House sidewalk and charged with a stationary demonstration in a restricted zone. Two of them paid a citation fee, but the others were tried in individual trials. Peter DeMott, Steve Baggarly, Bill Pickard, Nancy Gowen, Mike Walli, Tom Lewis, Mike Foley, Bill Streit, Tom Feagley, Emmett Jarrett, Susan Crane, Lindsay Hagerman and Eve Tetaz were sentenced to time served and a mandatory $25 assessment fee.

18—[Tacoma, WA] Thirteen cases were dismissed by a judge relating to blockades in March against shipments of arms going to Iraq. The activists were facing a charge, which only applies to vehicles, not people. The prosecutor is appealing the dismissal.

12—[WDC] Seven activists from the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance were found not guilty in a jury trail in Superior Court. Ellen Barfield, David Barrows, Gordon Clark, Sam Crook, Joy First, Malachy Kilbride and Eve Tetaz were arrested on Mar. 29 during a “tombstone action” in the Hart Senate Office Building. Set up in the atrium of the building were more than 100 cardboard tombstones with pictures of U.S. and Iraqi dead.

10—[WDC] An activist was arrested in Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office.

1—[Kennebunkport, ME] Lynn Curit-Smith and Eric Washeski were arrested and charged with trespass outside the Bush family estate. G. W. Bush was inside collaborating with Vladimir Putin.

JUNE 2007

26—[WDC] Pete Perry pled no contest to a charge of unlawful entry and was sentenced to 6 months of supervised probation, which included a weekly drug test, 40 hours of community service and a $50 assessment fee. Kristin Sundell, Jean Athey and Steve Lane pled guilty and were ordered to pay the $50 fee and do three months unsupervised probation. The four sat in Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s office on Feb. 27.

22—[WDC] Mary Pat Brennan, Debbie Churchman, Louie Vitale, Bill Streit, Vicky Andrews, Nancy Gowan, Liz McAlister, Jerry Zawada, Elizabeth Adams, Malachy Kilbride, Susan Crane, Garland Robertson, Eve Tetaz and Kay Warren were found guilty of crossing a police line or failure to obey. On Mar. 16, 222 participants in a Christian Peace Witness were arrested while praying on the White House sidewalk. However, the others paid a $100 citation fee.

11—[Chicago] Members of the 8th Day Center for Justice were convicted of failure to obey, but the judge declined to impose any sentence. In a dual action on Mar. 15, three of them were arrested in the office of Sen. Dick Durbin and four in the office of Barack Obama.

7—[San Francisco] Nine activists were arrested outside the federal building during a die-in to oppose the war in Iraq. The event was organized by Declaration of Peace Bay Area.

7—[Fairbanks, AK] Rob Mulford was convicted in federal court for refusing to leave [disorderly conduct] the premises of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s on Feb. 5. He was sentenced to a fine of $75, which was paid by the fifteen peace activists who were in court to support him.

MAY 2007

19—[Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA] Fr. Louie Vitale, Fr. Steve Kelly, Jeff Dietrich, Dennis Apel and Mike Wisniewski were arrested for trespass and scheduled to be arraigned in December. However, they are seeking a continuance as Vitale and Kelly are serving time in prison.

15—[Syracuse, NY] Eight people silently blocked the employee entrance of the federal building, holding signs that stated “NOT ONE MORE DAY, NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR, NOT ONE MORE DEATH.” Five would be arrested and charged with failure to comply with a lawful order. In August, the federal case against the five longtime Syracuse Peace Council activists was dismissed.

14—[Alexandria, VA] U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered that the June 16, 2006 conviction for “failure to obey a lawful order” of Max Obuszewski, who was arrested one half mile from the Pentagon on Mar. 20, 2006, be vacated. There were 51 arrests that day, and four separate trials. Obuszewski was represented at the May 3, 2007 oral arguments by public defender Michael Nachmanoff before U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis. Ellis trumpeted the First Amendment, mocked the government’s original conviction and chastised the prosecutors for thinking one can sidestep procedures when dealing with pro se defendants. He hinted that the government might consider filing a motion to vacate the conviction, which it did.

11—[WDC] Jerry Zawada, Eve Tetaz, Ellen Barfield and Jeff Leys were convicted of unlawful assembly for the Feb. 5 occupation of Sen. John McCain’s office. Six others paid a citation fee the day of the arrest. Jerry, Ellen and Jeff were sentenced to a suspended 7-day sentence with four months probation, while Eve received a suspended 10-day sentence with six months probation. Each was to pay a $50 assessment.

10—[Smithfield, NC] The AERO 8, facing a charge of trespass, were scheduled for trial. On Apr. 9, Patrick O’Neill and his daughter Moira, whose case was dismissed, Ellen Biesack, Frank Coyle, Steve Woolford, Scott Bass, Josh McIntyre, Barbara Zelter and Lisa Marcusson were arrested when they tried to enter an air field to deliver indictments to three pilots from Aero Contractors for flying torture taxis. Germany indicted 13 crew members, including pilots for Aero, in the 2004 kidnapping, detention and transport of Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent.

9—[Manchester, NH] Karen Barker, Tom Barker, Jon Hutchinson, Mary Lee Sargent, Pat Wilczynski, Nellie Grant, Chris Hobby, Jordan Butterfield and Anne Miller were arrested at Sen. John Sununu’s office for criminal trespass. Bail was set at $1,000. One person posted a bond, but the others spent the night in jail.

7—[Chapel Hill, NC] Charges were dismissed against six Univ. of North Carolina [SDS] students, Laura Bickford, Ben Carroll, Alisan Fathalizadeh, Sara Joseph, Dante Strobino & Tamara Tal, who visited the office of Rep. David Price on Feb. 16 to urge him to cut off funds for the Iraq War. They were charged with first degree trespass. However, Rep. Price wrote a letter requesting that the charges be dropped.

3—[Pittsburgh, PA] Charges were dropped for the fourteen people from the Pittsburgh Organizing Group arrested during a Mar. 2 blockade against military research at Carnegie Mellon University. However, the district attorney required a commitment of 25 hours of community service from each defendant. The activists were facing charges of disorderly conduct, obstructing traffic and possession of an instrument of crime — the chains used to keep a gate closed. The judge commended the arrestees for doing their part to end the war.

APRIL 2007

26—[WDC] Fourteen are arrested in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building, while participating in a funeral service for the next person killed in Iraq. Among those arrested were Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Adam Kokesh and Kevin Zeese.

23—[Philadelphia] Beth Friedlan, Karen Wisniewski, Sylvia Metzler, Mary Jo McArthur, Bernadette Cronin-Geller, Melissa Elliott, Ronald Coburn, Timothy Chadwick, Robert Daniels, Robin Lasersohn, Tom Mullian, Bob Smith, Marjorie Van Cleef and Silvia Brandon-Perez were found not guilty of defiant trespass, criminal trespass and criminal conspiracy, as the judge accepted the defendants’ First Amendment argument. They were denied access to Sen. Rick Santorum’s office on Sept. 25, 2006.

21—[Charlottesville, VA] Eleven citizens pled no contest and are convicted of trespass after being part of a four-week campaign of sit-ins in Rep. Virgil Goode’s office in February and March. Alexa Barnett, Terry Lilley, Bobby Shaw, Pat Lloyd, Jeff Winder, Shell Stern, Sue Frankel-Streit, Jennifer Connor, Brian Buckley, Mary Grace and Priscilla Sonne were sentenced to a 30-day jail sentence, suspended on condition of two years good behavior and fifteen hours of community service.

20—[Fairbanks, AK] Don Muller went to trial as he was one of the three activists arrested on February 20 in Sen. Ted Stevens’ office. A jury found Don guilty, and the judge sentenced him a $1000 fine, 3 years probation and either 120 hours of community service or 90 days in jail with 75 suspended. Don told the judge that his efforts to stop the war were examples of community service and chose a jail sentence. He served eight days in the Fairbanks Correctional Center.

19—[Madison, WI] The Campus Antiwar Network marched on the office of Sen. Herb Kohl demanding a meeting. One person was arrested in the office and charged with disorderly conduct.

18—[WDC] The government decided to dismiss all charges relating to an action on Jan. 11, International Day to Shut Down Guantanamo. Eighty-nine anti-torture activists were arrested inside U.S. District Court. Most of them refused to cooperate, and were released on Jane and John Doe citations. Around 50 of them appeared for the trial, and later 15 of them were arrested on the White House sidewalk calling for the closure of Guantanamo Bay.

17—[Chicago] Five people were arrested after entering the federal building wearing sackcloth and ashes. The Tax Day action included the singing of the names of the dead from the Iraq War.

16—[WDC] Marine Mom Tina Richards was arrested in the hallway after being forced out of at Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

16—[Fort Bragg, CA] Six are arrested in Rep. Mike Thompson’s office. There is a report that ay least four others were arrested in his office during previous occupations.

10—[Portland, OR] Six were arrested trying to visit Sen. Gordon Smith’s office. They would be convicted and sentenced to community service.

10—[Albany, NY] Those who occupied Sen. Hillary Clinton’s office, Pete Looker, Linda Letendre , Elliot Adams and Jeffrey Halpern, were told that the case was dismissed.

10—[WDC] Eve Tetaz, Desiree Fairooz, Janine Bonaparte and David Barrows were arraigned for a Mar. 22 arrest in the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

9—[Wausau, WI] Erin Cox, Ron Durham, Joy First and Jeff Leys were arraigned on a charge of disorderly conduct for the Mar. 5 arrest in Rep. David Obey’s office. First paid a fine and court costs, while the others await a trial date.

4—[St. Paul] The Anti-War Committee and Twin Cities Peace Campaign teamed up for a rush-hour action in front of the office of Sen. Norm Coleman. A dozen activists shut down traffic. Inside, another dozen activists took over the senator’s office. All 24 were arrested, though the charges against the inside group were dismissed.

3—[Burlington, VT] Marmete Hayes, Kate Duesterberg, Jay Vos, Owen Mulligan, Shawn Starfighter, S’ra DeSantis, Nicholas Parrish, Will Allen, Rene Kaczka-Valliere and Patrick Stanton were issued no trespassing citations after sitting in Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office. All charges were dismissed.

MARCH 2007

29—[Olympia, WA] A mistrial was declared in a case with 15 defendants arrested in May, 2006 during a blockade of arms shipments. In June a judge dismissed the case because of prosecutorial misconduct.

29—[Portland, OR] Marci Dennison and Alexandra Ryan brought a 40-foot scroll with thousands of signatures to Sen. Gordon Smith’s office building and were arrested. Convicted of trespass, they were sentenced to community service.

29—[Eugene, OR] Three activists were arrested inside Sen. Gordon Smith’s office. Carol Melia, Karla Cohen and Michael Williams accepted one year deferred adjudication and 20 hours of community service.

29—[Fort Wayne, IN] Three people are arrested in Sen. Richard Lugar’s office.

29—[Newark, NJ] Eight people were arrested in the federal building, which holds offices of Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Sen. Roberto Menendez. In July, the 8 defendants were found not guilty on charges of failure to disperse and interference.

28—[Springfield, IL] Two arrested in Sen. Dick Durbin’s office.

27—[Burlington, VT] Eight people, including a nursing mother and 9-month old daughter, Will Allen, Marmete Hayes and Jay Vos, were arrested after they refused to leave Sen. Bernie Sanders’ office. The state’s attorney declined to prosecute.

27—[Newark, NJ] Five members of the New Jersey Occupation Project were arrested in the federal building, which holds offices of Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Sen. Roberto Menendez. They were cited for defiant trespass and obstruction of justice.

27—[Eureka, CA] Occupying the office of Rep. Mike Thompson, Paul Encimer and Robin Donald were arrested for holding a die-in. The case disappeared from court records.

23—[Staten Island, NY] Five people are arrested in Rep. Vito Fossella’s office. Elaine Brower, Tom Good, Sally Jones, Ben Maurer and Barbara Walker were charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, but the charges were later dismissed.

22—[Sacramento, CA] Seven members of Veterans For Peace were arrested in Rep. Doris Matsui’s office. For 52 consecutive days, her constituents sustained a 9-5 “peace-in” occupation of the office.

21—[Burlington, VT] Six citizens were arrested in Rep. Peter Welch’s office and charged with trespass. The charges against Patrick Kearney, Michael Colby, Boots Wardinski, Bob Nichols, Palmer Legare and Will Allen were dismissed.

20—[WDC] Ann Wright was arrested after leaving a Congressional hearing on FBI abuses of civil liberties. John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, ordered her to stop speaking or to leave. Even though she left, Capitol Police took her into custody. Conyers’ chief of staff informed the police not to arrest the activist, but the police charged her with disorderly conduct. The $35 citation fee was paid by Conyers’ office.

20—[Bend, OR] Seven women were arrested in Rep. Greg Walden’s office. They were released on the condition not to return to the representative’s office for one year or be prosecuted.

20—[Burlington, VT] Three arrested in Rep. Peter Welch’s office.

20—[Syracuse, NY] Cynthia Banas and Paul Frazier were arrested in the federal building and charged with criminal trespass, following a day of protesting in congressional offices and in the hallways.

19—[Chicago] Christian Peacemaker Teams take action at the offices of Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Rahm Emanuel. Five arrests were reported in Durbin’s office, and three in Emanuel’s.

19—[La Crosse, WI] Seven people were arrested in Rep. Ron Kind’s office. Dave Wennlund, KattiJo Fetting, Gail Vaughn, Anita Zibton, Matt Sawyer, Xong Xiong and Christy Hope are expected to go to trial in 2008.

19—[WDC] Traprock Peace Center director Sunny Miller was arrested in the office of Rep. John Olver, but the case was dismissed.

19—[Wilmington, DE] Gemma Buckley, June Eisley & Sally Milbury-Steen did a die-in in front of the federal building. While charged with unreasonably obstructing the use of entrance, they await a trial date.

16—[Cedar Rapids, IA] Judith Pedersen-Benn was arrested in the office of Rep. David Loebsack. She would later plead guilty, and was fined $288, which included court costs.

15—[Brentwood, MO] Dianne Lee, Marty King and J’Ann Allen were arrested in Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office. Bill Ramsey was arrested in the lobby. Over a period of time, 22 people had been arrested in his office, and most accepted a plea bargain of a $125 fine and community service. Ramsey was convicted in a bench trial, but received a suspended sentence. Eight activists are seeking a jury trial.

15—[WDC] Eleven are arrested inside and outside the House Appropriations Committee hearing on the supplemental funding legislation.

13—[Joliet, IL] Robert Braam was arrested in Rep. Jerry Weller’s office and charged with trespass. He posted a $100 bond, but it was returned as no complaint was filed.

13—[Superior, WI] Three are arrested in Rep. David Obey’s office. In video court, Bonnie Urfer pled no contest, while John Heid and Mike Miles pled not guilty and were convicted in a bench trial. The three were ordered to pay $185.50, but they refused.

12—[Eugene, OR] Two are arrested in Rep. Peter DeFazio’s office. Peg Morton and Trudy Malony agree to one year deferred adjudication and 20 hours community service.

9—[Chicago] Two arrests are reported in the office of Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

7—[Northbrook, IL] Five are arrested in Rep. Mark Kirk’s office.

7—[Bangor, ME] Maureen Block, Henry Braun, Diane Fitzgerald, Jim Freeman, Dud Hendrick, Nancy Hill, Jon Kreps, Doug Rawlings, Judy Robbins, Peter Robbins, Rob Shetterly & Pat Wheeler were arrested in Sen. Susan Collins’ office and charged with criminal trespass. Six pled no contest and paid a fine. A trial date for the others has not yet been set.

5—[Des Moines, IA] Chris Gaunt, Brian Perbix and Lindsay Ayling were arrested in Sen. Charles Grassley’s office and charged with trespass and disrupting government employees. The three pled guilty to both charges and were fined.

5—[Eugene, OR] Eugene Pam Garrison and Rich Klopfer were arrested at the office of Rep. Peter DeFazio. They agreed to one year deferred adjudication and 20 hours community service.

5—[Denver] Ellen Stark, Sue Mitrovic, Janet Roberts and Jourdan Hill were arrested in Rep. Mark Udall’s office and charged with trespass. Stark and Hill were jailed, and at the next day’s arraignment were misinformed by the prosecutor. They were told they would not be released on personal recognizance, so they pled guilty and two were given jail sentences. They are trying to withdraw their pleas. Mitrovic accepted an offer of 18 hours community service, and Roberts accepted one year unsupervised probation and a $100 fine.

5—[Tacoma, WA] Police arrested three people for investigation of third-degree assault during a protest of a shipment of Iraq-bound Army equipment through the Port of Tacoma. The three were held on $10,000 bail.

2—[Portland, OR] Valerie Kelley and Tom Hastings were arrested in the lobby of the building housing Sen. Gordon Smith’s office. They were charged with trespass, later convicted and sentenced to community service.

FEBRUARY 2007

28—[Toledo, OH] Members of the Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition went to the office of Sen. George Voinovich. Chester Chambers, Marilyn Bernstein & Anne Abowd were arrested and charged with trespass and disorderly conduct. They later pled no contest and were given a suspended sentence ($250 fine and 15 days in jail) plus court costs.

27—[St. Louis, MO] Jim Allen and Michael McPhearson, members of Veterans For peace, are arrested in Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office.

26—[Wausau, WI] Susanna Gilk, Roberta Thurstin and Don Timmerman were arrested for disorderly conduct when they remained in Rep. David Obey’s office. Gilk pled guilty and agreed to do community service. Thurstin & Timmerman have had their trial postponed three times and are awaiting a new date.

26—[Des Moines & Cedar Rapids, IA] Seven activists were arrested in Sen. Charles Grassley’s Des Moines office. In July, a jury agreed with 5 of them that they had a First Amendment right to have their grievance heard by the senator. The acquitted were Elton Davis, Chester Guinn, Kathleen McQuillen, Brian Terrell and Dixie Webb. Defendants Ed Bloomer and Christine Gaunt had previously pled guilty and were fined.

Eleven others, including eight Univ. of Iowa students, were arrested at his office in Cedar Rapids and charged with trespass. Andrew Alemao, Joshua Casteel, Frank Cordaro, Megan Felt, Timothy Gauger, David Goodner, John Paul Hornbeck, Ryan Merz, Conor Murphy, Rosemary Persaud and Justin Riley were tried in April. Three weeks later, the defendants were fined the maximum $65 plus $125 “mandatory law enforcement surcharge.”

22—[Virginia Beach, VA] Veteran for Peace Tom Palumbo was trying to deliver anti-war petitions to the office of Rep. Thelma Drake, but was arrested for his effort. A month later, he appeared in court and was told the case was dismissed.

21—[St. Louis, MO] Suzanne Renard and Jean Durel, the Atonement Affinity Group, were

arrested while trying to visit Sen. Claire McCaskill’s office and cited for failure to comply.

21—[Portland, OR] Dot Lukin and Kathleen Bushman are arrested in Sen. Gordon Smith’s office as part of the Defund the War campaign. They were later convicted and sentenced to community service.

21—[Portland, ME] Thirteen activists were arrested in Rep. Tom Allen’s office. A $40 bond was posted by Susan Anderson, Stephen Carroll, Kathe Chipman, Christine DeTroy, Mair Honan, Karen Wainberg, Natacha Mayers, Whonda Wilson and Dexter Kamilewicz, who ran against Allen as an anti-war independent in 2006. Bruce Gagnon, Mary Beth Sullivan, Carolyn Coe and Mary Donnelly refused to post bail and were jailed two days before pleading not guilty. All charges were later dismissed at Allen’s request.

21—[Toledo, OH] Four members of the Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition, Jeff Klein, Trudy Bond, Steven Miller and Laurence Coleman, were arrested in Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s office and charged with trespass. In May, they pleaded no contest. The Republican judge did not impose a fine, but assessed court costs for only one of them.

20—[Chicago] Four arrested in lobby of federal building after meeting with a staff member for Sen. Dick Durbin. In an April trial, Marjorie Fujara, Katie Jean Dahlaw and Laura Bernstein were found not guilty of failure to comply, as the judge accepted their First Amendment argument. Rosalie Reigle missed the trial, as she was out of the country.

16—[St. Louis, MO] Seven people from St. Louis Univ. and a Catholic Worker group are arrested in Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office.

15—[St. Louis, MO] Two members of the Chimes Affinity Group are arrested in Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office.

14—[St. Louis, MO] Three arrested in Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office.

12—[Portland, OR] Two arrested in Sen. Gordon Smith’s office as part of the Defund the War Campaign.

8—[Campbell, CA] Two arrested in Rep. Mike Honda’s office.

8—[St. Louis, MO] Seven (Cabat House Affinity Group) arrested in Rep. Russ Carnahan’s office.

5—[Chicago] Four arrested in Sen. Dick Durbin’s office; another four arrested in Sen. Barack Obama’s office.

JANUARY 2007

25—[Portland, OR] Two people arrested in Sen. Gordon Smith’s office as part of the Defund the War Campaign.

4—[San Francisco] Twenty-eight members of a group Declaration for Peace were arrested after blocking entrances of the San Francisco federal courthouse during a demonstration in support of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada. They were cited for failing to comply with police orders to disperse. Watada was the first commissioned U.S. officer to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq.

Original on San Diego Indymedia

A local peace activist faces trial beginning June 26th for committing non-violent civil disobedience during the Declaration of Peace demonstration in San Diego.

The City Attorney’s office has filed charges against Dr. Robert Omar Clay, one of four individuals arrested Sept. 25, 2006, when the Jail Bush contingent of San Diego Civil Disobedients moved their downtown protest of the crimes of the Bush Administration onto Broadway, blocking traffic.

The four were arrested, cited and released. It is unclear why local authorities filed charges against Dr. Clay and not the other three participants in the civil disobedience action. Dr. Clay is a physicist and nuclear weapons analyst, and associate of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

At the trial Dr. Clay will seek to present a necessity defense, drawing from the tradition of non-violent civil disobedience practiced by peacemakers such as Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Clay felt it necessary to violate the law to prevent a greater harm, in defense of our democracy and the lives of innocent people. He believed it to be the only means left to call attention to the failure of our representatives in Washington to protect our constitution and our nation from the severe and imminent threat posed by the Bush administration, and to end the violations of national and international law.

CALL TO ACTION for TUESDAY 6/26/07:

• PEACEFUL PRESENCE AT TRIAL gather 8:00 am San Diego Superior Court 220 Broadway, look for person with peace sign for directions
• DEMONSTRATION 5:30 to 6:00 pm Horton Plaza, in front of the Lyceum Theater

For additional information, or to learn how you can support Dr. Clay, contact Stephanie Cauchon at 619-884-3475 or scauchon1@cox.net; www.sdcd.org/jbush/jbush.html

Today we mark the fourth anniversary of the unprovoked invasion of Iraq by the United States. Since March 19, 2003, well over 3,000 American soldiers have been lost and thousands more injured. Since March 19, 2003, uncounted thousands of Iraqis have been killed and millions displaced. Sadly, the numbers on all sides continue to rise.

We, members of the Erie Peace Initiative, stand here today, March 19, 2007, preventing others from passing through the entrance of this Federal Building as a symbolic and yet very concrete action, demanding an end to the tragedy that is the war in Iraq. We cannot sit silent and let business go on as usual while our people in uniform are placed at risk and the Iraqi people continue to suffer. In the past four years, we have written the president, our elected representatives, and newspapers. We have kept vigil; we have marched. Today calls us to take an even deeper stand.

We stand here today in mourning of those who have been lost and in hope that by our action even one life will be saved. We call for:

• an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel from Iraq
• no more troop deployments
• no permanent bases in Iraq
• an increase in funding for Iraq veterans.

We do not delude ourselves that our small action will bring an end to war in Iraq. However, we stand in solidarity with the many throughout this country who take similar actions in their commitment to the Declaration of Peace, and we believe deeply that together we can and we will bring an end to the tragedy in Iraq.

(Declaration of Peace Pledges attached)

The Lewistown Peace Seekers have built a temporary chain made from slips of white paper which they have fastened to sticks half-way encircling the Lewistown Courthouse. Each slip of paper contains the name, age, rank, and date of death of one US soldier who perished in Iraq during the past 4 years. They will be displaying this chain every day during the week of March 19 - March 23, 2007 (weather dependent). They have included anit-war signs and signs which explain the chains significance. For more information about the Lewistown Peace Seekers please visit: www.montanapeaceseekers.org

A group of about 100 “Vigilers for Peace” stood in silent witness for peace on the West Lawn of the US Capitol on Saturday, March 17, from noon until one. This vigil has been held weekly since October, 2002. Usually, there are less than 20 of us there, but on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of this tragic war on Iraq, we usually have quite a few more. Given the weather and the other activities that day, it was wonderful to have 100 there on Saturday.

Die-In and Protest
Monday, March 19th 2007 3 PM
San Diego, CA USA

There will be a Die-In at the intersection of A Street and Park Blvd, in front of the City College, at 3 pm on Monday March 19th. Show your outrage in an outrageous manner. Be prepared to make a sacrifice in the name of all those who have sacrificed so much already.

Sidewalk support will be greatly needed too. There are plenty of “safe” events being sponsored around town, but I hope, for those of you who really want to make a stand, and take attention getting to the next level, will join us.

Okay, so what I really want to know is: ARE YOU IN? Reply to for details…

Location:
1313 Park Blvd San Diego CA 92101

Contact:
Matt -

Sponsored By:
I am a member of the activist community in San Diego. I can get other groups involved, but I cannot list their endorsement just yet. I have organized rallies that drew as many as 500 people to Horton Plaza, and lead marches down Broadway, the Gas Lamp District, and a protest at SPAWAR. Just ask me for whom, and I will tell you. But I am a free thinking liberal, and not bound by any political group, religion, or affiliation. I am an American Patriot. I’ll email details to all interested persons who reply. So please contact me to for more information.

We Call for Cooperation, Nonviolence,and Protection of Human & Civil Rights

In view of the circumstances we face today in the life of our nation, since:

• we at Macalester Plymouth United Church, members of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)/United Church of Christ congregation, belonging to the Protestant Christian church family, are seriously concerned about the policies pursued by our government in foreign relations, since:
• we are also concerned about actions by our government which should not be tolerated, and since
• we are alarmed by the tragic deterioration of moral leadership, by widespread disrespect for the United States of America, and by a decline of our government’s credibility,

the Session of Macalester Plymouth United Church declares that:

• at this juncture in our history, the United States of America should implement constructive foreign policies based on peacemaking and the pursuit of justice and fairness of shalom,
• the United States of America should work for international communication and cooperation, for conflict resolution by non-violent means, and for the enforcement of international law as formulated in the United Nations’ Charter, international treaties and agreements,
• the United States of America should not start a preemptive war justified by misinformation,
• the United States of America should protect constitutional rights to due process, and
• the United States of America should not apply torture or degrading treatment of human beings, but the United States of America should support efforts for the promotion of human rights.

Approved Oct. 26, 2006

Macalester Plymouth United Church
1658 Lincoln Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
651.698.8871

www.macalester-plymouth.org

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We encourage other faith communities to adopt a similar stand and promote others to do the same—faith communities, your organizational leadership (eg., denominations), legislatures and congress. You may use this resolution if you like. Please let us know how you plan to use it. Thank you