CPTnet
January 19, 2003
CHICAGO: CPTers speak out against the war

 As the Bush administration mobilizes additional troops in preparation for a
new attack on Iraq, Federal officers arrested eight CPTers and one Chicago
resident in downtown Chicago on Friday, January 17 who were protesting the
war. A gathering of fifty demonstrators, including members of Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT) from the U.S., Canada and Scotland marked Martin
Luther King weekend by dramatizing the potential casualties of the impending
war on Iraq. Bearing caskets labeled "soldiers," "Iraqi civilians," "the
environment," and Dr. King's vision," participants enacted a solemn "die in"
and funeral procession.

CPT members read from Dr. King's writings including his assertion that those
demonstrate against war and injustice "must be prepared to match actions
with words by seeking out every creative means of protest possible."

CPTers then spoke of their sadness and anger at the prospect of war in Iraq.
"Drop the sanctions, not bombs; choose diplomacy, not war; value life, not
death," urged Canadian CPTer David Milne, recently returned from Iraq.
CPTers Betty Scholten of Washington, DC and Maureen Jack from Scotland said,
"Although our governments are in conflict, our peoples wish one another no
harm. We are committed to carrying a message of peace to the Iraqi people."
Both will travel to Iraq next month.

While the rest of the group remained in the plaza singing and praying, nine
people (Christy Bischoff, Chris Brown, Dan Dale, Barbara Howe, Maureen Jack,
Stephanie Knol, Bruce Miller, David Milne and Betty Scholten) entered the
Kluczynski Federal Building to request that Senator Fitzgerald make a
statement against war.

Federal officers initially prevented the delegation from going to the
Senator's office, arresting Dale, Howe and Milne in the lobby and ejecting
the others from the building. On a second attempt Bischoff, Brown, Jack,
Knol, Miller and Scholten gained access to the building and entered Senator
Fitzgerald's office. The group expressed their concerns at the prospect of
war to Chief of Staff, Maggie Hickey, and invited the Senator to reverse his
position and make a statement against war. When Hickey refused to contact
the Senator the group prayed, sang hymns, and read aloud from Dr King's
writings. They were arrested, given citations and released immediately
after processing.

The witness in Chicago occurred in conjunction with the massive
demonstration in Washington, DC against the war on Saturday, January 18.
More than 500 people from the Chicago area participated in the DC
demonstration.

The current group of CPT trainees include Christy Bischoff (Asheville, NC),
Paul Brohaugh (Lindstrom,MN), Chris Brown (San Francisco, CA), Dan
Dale(Chicago, IL), John Engle (Port-au-Prince, Haiti), Jim Fitz (Tiskilwa,
IL), Barbara Howe (Gainesville, FL), Maureen Jack (St Andrews, Scotland),
Diane Janzen (Calgary, AB), Bruce Miller (Madison, WI), David Milne
(Belleville, ON), Kathleen Namphy (Palo Alto, CA), Germana Nijim (Cedar
Falls, IA), Betty Scholten (Mt Rainier, MD) and Alan Slater (Lakeside, ON).