Mar. 22, 2007
By Tony Fuller and Barney Lerten
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Six women showed up for a meeting Tuesday at Rep. Greg Walden’s Bend office, wanting to personally urge him to oppose any more funding for the war in Iraq. That began a sit-in, and nearly 12 hours later, despite an offer to chat with him the next day - if they left - they still refused to leave and were arrested on criminal trespass charges, officials said.
In a statement issued Thursday, Walden’s office claimed the women were ordered removed only after they tried closing the office door, and one apparently urinated into a bottle. They had been told that if they went down the hall to use the bathroom, they could not return to the sit-in, and one eventually left the office to do so, but was still in the building and arrested.
The six women - Margaret Brookover, Frances Davis, Ann Havill, Francis “Betsy” Lamb, Peggy Miller and Kathleen Paterno - were taken to the Deschutes County Jail, booked on second-degree criminal trespass charges (a misdemeanor) and released around 11:45 p.m., said a jail officer.”
All we are saying, is give peace a chance” - the mothers and grandmothers held hands and sang John Lennon’s tune in the conference room of Walden’s office on Hawthorne Avenue, which they occupied from 10 a.m. on, reading the names of Iraqis and Americans killed in Iraq, marking each name with the ringing of a small bell.
Each woman was taking part in the sit-in for her own reason, part of the Code Pink Women for Peace movement carrying out similar events around the country. But all agreed they want this war to end - now.
“We set up an appointment to speak with Walden (from) Washington and present information about the war,” said Lamb.
Davis said, “It was a war based on lies. If you want to be graphic about it, we’re the ‘weapons of mass destruction.’”
Another participant said, “We want the troops home now, and we don’t want (the war) extended to Iran.”
The congressman’s office closed at 5, the building an hour later, but they weren’t leaving without what they came for, a talk with Walden. Finally, Walden’s Bend constituent representative, Judy Trego brought an offer to the table.
“We have arranged a conference call with the congressman tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, 15 minutes with just you and him, but if we could wrap this up tonight,” Trego said.
The women negotiated with Walden’s aide, but in the end decided to stick to their original plan, to wait and hear from Walden directly.
Hours passed, and Walden’s office, along with the building’s landlord, decided to have the six women removed. That happened around 9:45 p.m., and the women left quietly, their hands cuffed behind their backs and put into a police car.
Walden’s press secretary, Andrew Whelan, released the following statement Wednesday regarding the events that transpired at the congressman’s Bend district office Tuesday:
“A group of anti-war protestors who said they were affiliated with Code Pink arrived at Congressman Greg Walden’s Central Oregon Office in Bend at 10 am Tuesday for a scheduled appointment with Constituent Services Representative Judy Trego. They demanded a commitment from the Congressman for an immediate withdrawal of all troops from Iraq, the immediate cessation of all funding for the troops and a prohibition on any military action involving Iran. After a brief discussion, the six women proceeded to conduct a 12-hour sit-in in the Congressman’s personal office. Judy, who staffs the one-person office, accommodated them for the rest of the work day, despite their interruptions. She made sure they had access to water and agreed to their request to watch the local news so they could see themselves on television. At approximately 6:10 pm, she offered them the opportunity to have a video conference with Congressman Walden on Wednesday, March 21, but only if they wrapped up their protest and left peacefully. After nearly 30 minutes of private discussions among themselves, including cell calls from them to others, they declined that opportunity and continued their sit-in.
“At approximately 7:30 pm, one of the protestors asked if she left to use the restroom down the hall would she be allowed to return to the sit-in. Judy informed her that she could use the restroom, but if she left the sit-in she would not be allowed to return. The protestor expressed understanding, but disappointment, and resumed her sit-in.
“At approximately 8 pm, one of the protestors left to use the restroom, and was not allowed back into the office and apparently departed the office building. At approximately 9 pm, the protestors closed the door to Congressman Walden’s personal office. When Judy informed the remaining five protestors that the door had to remain open, one of the protestors told Judy that if that were the case then she was ‘going to see the woman’s bare butt,’ and the implication was that the woman was urinating.
“The Bend City Police were called and the protestors were removed, along with the bottle the protestor allegedly urinated in, from the office at approximately 10 pm.”