The Declaration of Peace

March 22, 2007
By Sam Hemingway
Burlington Free Press

Six demonstrators were arrested on trespass charges Wednesday night inside the Burlington offices of Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., while protesting what they said was Welch’s unwillingness to firmly oppose the Iraq war.

“Last November, we elected a congressman we thought would end the war but instead the war is being expanded,” said Patrick Kearney, 55, of Thetford as he emerged from the building in handcuffs and escorted by police. “We can’t get a yes or no answer from our congressman about whether or not he is going to fund the war.”

The six, all men ranging in age from 27 to 87, were unhandcuffed by police and released after peacefully departing the building. They were told to report to the Burlington Police Department today to receive their arrest citations. The arrests were carried out by three officers, Chief Tom Tremblay and Deputy Chief Mike Shirling.

Later Wednesday night, Welch spokesman Andrew Savage said Welch would prefer that the charges against the six men not be prosecuted. “We’re fine with the charges’ being dropped,” Savage said.

The arrests came after a five-hour sit-in at Welch’s office by 30 demonstrators who were demanding that he oppose a spending bill up for a House vote today that contains funding for the Iraq war.

When the office closed at 6 p.m., the demonstrators were told they must leave or face arrest. Most of the demonstrators chose not to undergo arrests for family and other reasons and left the office, said Michael Colby, 43, of Worcester.

The $124 billion funding bill provides money for war operations but also has language requiring that all troops be out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2008.

In addition, the bill sets a series of deadlines for turning over military control of Iraq to Iraqi troops and contains guarantees that U.S. combat troops have proper armor before going into battle. The Senate is preparing similar legislation, and President Bush has vowed to veto the measure.

“We are not for this war, and we do not want to pay a dollar more for this war here in Vermont,” Liza Earle of Richmond told Tricia Coates, Welch’s state office director shortly after the group entered the office at 1 p.m. “You cannot fund and oppose this war at the same time.”

At first, the group said they would not leave until they had a conversation with Welch. The group included Vermont state poet Grace Paley of Newbury, perennial Liberty Union candidate Peter Diamondstone of Brattleboro and Dennis Morrisseau of West Pawlet, who ran as the Impeach Bush Now candidate against Welch last year.

As they waited for Welch’s phone call, members of the group discussed their opposition to the war, read the names of American and Iraqi war dead and, at one point, sang the protest song “We Shall Not Be Moved.”

“If he votes for $100 billion for the war, that could have gone for veterans’ benefits,” said Boots Wardinski, 63, of Newbury, who later became one of the six people arrested. “So if he votes for that, he’s saying to the veterans: ‘Screw you.’”

The conversations among the demonstrators and Coates and Welch were mostly cordial. Welch staff members passed out chocolate cookies to the demonstrators, and Buddy, a golden retriever owned by Welch staff member Susan Elliott, occasionally meandered about the room.

At 3:35 p.m., Welch called from his Washington, D.C., office and told the group via speaker phone that he was undecided on the $124 billion military spending bill.

In his remarks, however, Welch appeared to be leaning toward supporting the measure, saying it might be the best way for Congress to mandate a quick, orderly troop withdrawal from Iraq.

“What my decision will be based on is my judgment, and I’ll have to make this judgment as to whether voting for or against the bill is going to hasten the day when we can end this war,” Welch told the group.

Welch also reminded the demonstrators that he supported other strongly worded legislation aimed at ending the war. During his campaign, he often spoke of his opposition to the war and called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who did resign after the Democrats won control of Congress in November.

Welch spoke to the group for a half hour but failed to convince them that the bill he remained undecided on had merit. Instead, his stance drew sharp criticism from the group, most of whom said they voted for Welch in November.

“It’s absurd, when I think about it, that my future and the future of other students all over Iraq and Vermont and our country is being compromised because we are pouring all of our resources into a black hole,” said Renee Morley, a University of Vermont student living in Essex.

Wednesday’s demonstration was one of a series of actions backed by the Voices for Creative Non-violence, a Chicago-based group that has staged protests in states around the country to pressure members of Congress to oppose war funding.

The bill that was the target of the protesters has split the anti-war movement. MoveOn.org, a liberal Internet organization, supports the bill. Savage said Welch had received “dozens” of phone calls Wednesday from around the country urging him to vote for the legislation.

In addition to Kearney, Wardinski and Colby, the demonstrators arrested were Bob Nichols, 87, of Thetford; Palmer Legare, 27, of Cabot; and Will Allen, 70, of Thetford.

Mar. 22, 2007
By Tony Fuller and Barney Lerten
See KTVZ.com for photo and video news coverage.

Listen to the Interview by Scott Burgwin on the Occupation Project Radio

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.”

The New Jersey Occupation Project on Monday will kick off an organized campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience to end the occupation of Iraq and stop a aggression against Iran.

The New Jersey Occupation Project is a coalition of representatives from peace and justice organizations from around the state.

The campaign begins with an 11 a.m. visit to the offices of U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez in the Gateway Center in Newark, followed by a noon news conference outside the offices. During their meeting, the group will ask the senators to sign a pledge to cast their votes in the Senate in accordance with their professed opposition to the war in Iraq.

After the meeting in the senators’ offices, the group will gather at the entrance to Gateway Center One, on Market Street, for the news conference, to state their goals, objectives, and reasons for turning to civil disobedience.

Among the group will be members of “Military Families Speak Out” who have family members in the armed forces.

For more information, go to Voices for Creative Nonviolence.