Dear Friends,
Tomorrow, July 11, 19 people, including several Vietnam combat veterans, a World War II veteran, and other peace activists will be tried in D.C. Superior court for the March 19 nonviolent action at the White House marking the eighth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and calling for an end to U.S. war-making in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, as well as calling for the release of imprisoned military whistle-blower Bradley Manning. I am honored to be part of this group of peacemakers and invite your prayers for us, the judge and prosecutor. As we seek to expose the sin and criminality of war, we remember all the victims of U.S.war-making and pray that more people will chose the path of nonviolence and work to abolish war.
Please carefully read the below press release for more info about the trial. And if you live in D.C. please join us in court if you are able.
With peace and gratitude,
Art Laffin of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Washington, D.C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
- Ann Wilcox, (202) 441-3265, wilcox_ann@yahoo.com,
- Elliott Adams, President, Veterans for Peace, (518) 284-2048, elliottadams@juno.com
Washington, D.C.–On Monday, July 11, 2011, 19 veterans, members of the Catholic Worker community, and other long-time peace activists will have a pro se trial in D.C. Superior Court, stemming from arrests on the White House sidewalk on March 19, 2011. The March 19th action raised issues of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the cost of the wars to American society, and the continued detention of whistleblower Bradley Manning. One hundred thirteen persons were arrested on the White House sidewalk by U.S. Park Police, and 19 of those will proceed to a trial on charges of Failure to Obey a Lawful Order and Unlawful Assembly-Disorderly Conduct.
At 8:00 a.m. on Monday, July 11, 2011, the veterans and peace activists will be available to speak with the media. They will then proceed to a trial, which will be held in Courtroom 313 of D.C. Superior Court.
The activists have traveled from as far away as Maine, North Carolina, and throughout the Eastern U.S. Veterans range from World War II veterans, to the Vietnam era and beyond. The trial will highlight the defendants’ desire to petition their government for redress of grievances in prosecuting two costly wars; their First Amendment Right in doing so; and other legal arguments. Although there are some first-time activists, many of those going to trial have opposed war for most of their lives. They have continued to “speak truth to power” as they did on March 19th at the White House.
Elliott Adams, President of Veterans for Peace, stated: “I am proud to stand with other veterans of America’s military, along with committed peace activists, to oppose the illegal and unnecessary wars that are currently being fought, and to highlight the cost to our society. We, who have experienced war, can help to highlight the costs of war, and the importance of ending these wars now!”