CHICAGO: Five CPTers arrested in M.L. King Day witness against Iraq war
January 24th, 2008
in:
CPTnet
24 January 2008
CHICAGO: Five CPTers arrested in M.L. King Day witness against Iraq war
On Tuesday, 15 January 2008, members and supporters of CPT marked Martin Luther King’s birthday by holding a vigil at the Chicago office of Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel calling for an end to the Iraq war.
Eight CPTers, dressed in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance for complicity in the war, entered the Congressman’s office around 4:00 p.m. They presented his staff with a letter expressing their concerns and a pledge for the Congressman to sign, in which he would promise to vote against any further funding for the occupation in Iraq.
By closing time, Mr. Emanuel (from his office in Washington) had not responded to the group’s request. Five CPTers chose to remain in the Chicago office until hearing an answer from the Congressman. Police arrived shortly after 5:00 p.m. and arrested Dan Gerber (Chicago, IL), Amanda Jokerst (St Louis, MO), Sarah MacDonald (Chicago, IL), Christie Schmid (Seattle, WA), and Chihchun Yuan (Taipei, Taiwan) on charges of trespassing.
The group appealed to Mr. Emanuel because he is the fourth most powerful Democrat in the U.S. Congress, the vast majority of his constituents oppose the war, and he himself has spoken out against the war. However, he has consistently voted in favor of funding the war. "We urge the Congressman to put action behind his words and use his position of leadership to cut the funding flow," said CPTer Sylvia Morrison.
During the hour-long vigil both inside and outside Mr. Emanuel’s office, participants prayed a Litany of Resistance interspersed with the names of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers who have been killed in the war. As part of their ritual of mourning, vigilers burned hundreds of pages of names of war dead, creating a pile of ashes with which they marked their foreheads in repentance.
"After being in Iraq in 2004 and seeing the devastating effects of war on the Iraqi people," said Schmid, "I felt I must engage the leaders of my own country through civil disobedience and ongoing work to end the devastation of war—at home, and in Iraq."
Under the banner, "War is Terrorism with a Bigger Budget," participants distributed leaflets documenting the costs of the war to Chicago taxpayers – $48.8 billion in 2007 alone-- and showing how the money could have been spent on medical care, education, housing, and infrastructure in the Chicago area.
Upon his release from jail shortly after midnight, Gerber said he had no regrets about his action: "We can hope and pray for peace but there are times when we are called by the Spirit to take drastic action to live the Gospel of peace and love."
The four women, who refused to give their names as an act of solidarity with all of the nameless Iraqis killed during the war and occupation, were held until around 1:00 p.m. the following day. All five are scheduled for trial on February 19, 2008.
In addition to those arrested, training participants who organized the witness were: Erika Friesen (Toronto, ON), Monica Haas (Monroe, NJ), Phil Hart (Columbus, OH), Carolyn Hudson (Snow Road Station, ON), John Hudson (Snow Road Station, ON), Alwyn Knight (Tenterden, Kent, UK), Lois Mastrangelo (Watertown, MA), Rosemarie Milazzo (New York, NY), and Sylvia Morrison (Brampton, ON).
24 January 2008
CHICAGO: Five CPTers arrested in M.L. King Day witness against Iraq war
On Tuesday, 15 January 2008, members and supporters of CPT marked Martin Luther King’s birthday by holding a vigil at the Chicago office of Democratic Congressman Rahm Emanuel calling for an end to the Iraq war.
Eight CPTers, dressed in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance for complicity in the war, entered the Congressman’s office around 4:00 p.m. They presented his staff with a letter expressing their concerns and a pledge for the Congressman to sign, in which he would promise to vote against any further funding for the occupation in Iraq.
By closing time, Mr. Emanuel (from his office in Washington) had not responded to the group’s request. Five CPTers chose to remain in the Chicago office until hearing an answer from the Congressman. Police arrived shortly after 5:00 p.m. and arrested Dan Gerber (Chicago, IL), Amanda Jokerst (St Louis, MO), Sarah MacDonald (Chicago, IL), Christie Schmid (Seattle, WA), and Chihchun Yuan (Taipei, Taiwan) on charges of trespassing.
The group appealed to Mr. Emanuel because he is the fourth most powerful Democrat in the U.S. Congress, the vast majority of his constituents oppose the war, and he himself has spoken out against the war. However, he has consistently voted in favor of funding the war. "We urge the Congressman to put action behind his words and use his position of leadership to cut the funding flow," said CPTer Sylvia Morrison.
During the hour-long vigil both inside and outside Mr. Emanuel’s office, participants prayed a Litany of Resistance interspersed with the names of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers who have been killed in the war. As part of their ritual of mourning, vigilers burned hundreds of pages of names of war dead, creating a pile of ashes with which they marked their foreheads in repentance.
"After being in Iraq in 2004 and seeing the devastating effects of war on the Iraqi people," said Schmid, "I felt I must engage the leaders of my own country through civil disobedience and ongoing work to end the devastation of war—at home, and in Iraq."
Under the banner, "War is Terrorism with a Bigger Budget," participants distributed leaflets documenting the costs of the war to Chicago taxpayers – $48.8 billion in 2007 alone-- and showing how the money could have been spent on medical care, education, housing, and infrastructure in the Chicago area.
Upon his release from jail shortly after midnight, Gerber said he had no regrets about his action: "We can hope and pray for peace but there are times when we are called by the Spirit to take drastic action to live the Gospel of peace and love."
The four women, who refused to give their names as an act of solidarity with all of the nameless Iraqis killed during the war and occupation, were held until around 1:00 p.m. the following day. All five are scheduled for trial on February 19, 2008.
In addition to those arrested, training participants who organized the witness were: Erika Friesen (Toronto, ON), Monica Haas (Monroe, NJ), Phil Hart (Columbus, OH), Carolyn Hudson (Snow Road Station, ON), John Hudson (Snow Road Station, ON), Alwyn Knight (Tenterden, Kent, UK), Lois Mastrangelo (Watertown, MA), Rosemarie Milazzo (New York, NY), and Sylvia Morrison (Brampton, ON).