Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2006-02-01 01:44.
Cindy Sheehan
By David Swanson
Note: Going on no sleep, Cindy plans to speak this morning on Good
Morning America and the Today Show about the experience of being
arrested for wearing a shirt.
The shirt Cindy was arrested for wearing. This photo was taken earlier
in the day at the People’s State of the Union with Congress Members
Conyers and Woolsey.
Cindy Sheehan lost her son in Bush’s war. Tonight she accepted an
invitation from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey to attend Bush’s State of
the Union speech. She had told me earlier that she didn’t want to go.
But she ended up going. All day she had been wearing a t-shirt and a
sweat shirt. When she unzipped the sweat shirt, revealing that the
t-shirt displayed a count of US soldiers killed in Iraq, the Capitol
Police lifted her out of her seat and hauled her off to jail. She was
released over 3 hours later, charged with unlawful conduct, which
carries a fine of $45. She did not see the speech and was not able to
speak at the rally outside the Capitol or the viewing party at Bus Boys
and Poets restaurant, as she had planned. This was completely
unexpected and not planned for. Cindy is clearly tired and frustrated
by the experience.
Protesters from the World-Can’t-Wait event marched from the Capitol
Reflecting Pool to the jail where Cindy was first taken. Both on the
way there and after reaching the jail, they encountered abusive and
unnecessary force from the police. One young woman was kicked in the
head, and was treated in an ambulance and released.
The jail was on D Street, NE, near the Senate office buildings. The
police told us they were taking Cindy to central processing at
Judiciary Square and would bring her back and release her. Then they
said she’d be released over there, but when we got there, they said
she’d be released at a jail at 415 4th Street SW, so we headed over
there, and she was in fact released. Television cameras followed the
whole way. Cindy was too tired and fed-up to make a lengthy statement.
She has invitations for the morning from the Today Show, Good Morning
America, and others.
The Impeach Bush truck drove around the Capitol today.
Pacifica radio covered the State of the Union from Bus Boys and Poets restaurant.
A line of police faced a crowd of protesters outside the jail where Cindy was first taken.
Cindy’s sister Dede Miller spoke with the police and then with the media.
Also: C-Span has posted the video (two and a half hours) of a forum on impeachment from yesterday. Go to www.c-span.org and click on “Bush Administration” in the upper left.
HERE IS CINDY’S OWN REPORT:
As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.
I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.
There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened:
This afternoon at the People’s State of the Union Address in DC
where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers,
Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh, Lynn brought me a ticket to
the State of the Union Address. At that time, I was wearing the shirt
that said: 2245 Dead. How many more?
After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about
going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn’t feel comfortable going. I
knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I
knew that I couldn’t disrupt the address because Lynn had given me the
ticket and I didn’t want to be disruptive out of respect for her. I, in
fact, had given the ticket to John Bruhns who is in Iraq Veterans
Against the War. However, Lynn’s office had already called the media
and everyone knew I was going to be there so I sucked it up and went.
I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman
Barbara Lee’s staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building
and we went to the Capitol via the undergroud tunnel. I went through
security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security
again.
My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The
person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.
I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs
back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the
right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and
yelled; “Protester.” He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat
and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I
said something like “I’m going, do you have to be so rough?” By the
way, his name is Mike Weight.
The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move
out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me
outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said,
“That’s Cindy Sheehan.” At which point the officer who arrested me
said: “Take these steps slowly.” I said, “You didn’t care about being
careful when you were dragging me up the other steps.” He said, “That’s
because you were protesting.” Wow, I get hauled out of the People’s
House because I was, “Protesting.”
I was never told that I couldn’t wear that shirt into the Congress.
I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had
been asked to do any of those things…I would have, and written about
the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and
roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off
and arrested for “unlawful conduct.”
After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a
nice Sgt. came in and looked at my shirt and said, “2245, huh? I just
got back from there.”
I told him that my son died there. That’s when the enormity of my
loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights.
I have lost the country that I love. Where did America go? I started
crying in pain.
What did Casey die for? What did the 2244 other brave young
Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in
harm’s way for still? For this? I can’t even wear a shrit that has the
number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant
policies are responsible for killing.
I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to
be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I
would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would
have unzipped my jacket during George’s speech. If I had any idea what
happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable
that I would be arrested…maybe I would have, but I didn’t.
There have already been many wild stories out there.
I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit
against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is
time to take our freedoms and our country back.
I don’t want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether
he/she has paid the ulitmate price for that country, from wearing,
saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the
government. That’s why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties
back. That’s why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away
from me…or you.
I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred of protesters who came
to the jail while I was locked up to show their support….we have so
much potential for good…there is so much good in so many people.
Four hours and 2 jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight.
Keep up the struggle…I promise you I will too.
Love and peace soon,
Cindy
______________________
Gold Star Families for Peace alert.
GSFP co-founder Cindy Sheehan was arrested last night at the state
of the union address. She was invited to attend by Congresswoman Lynn
Woolsey. . She was escorted into the chambers by a representative of
Congresswoman Barbara Lees office. Cindy had no intention of disrupting
the speech. Partly out of respect for Lynn Woolsey . It was released by
someone from the capital that Cindy unfurled a banner and was
disruptive.
The truth is Cindy was wearing a t-shirt the VFP had made to
commemorate the grime milestone of the death of the 2000th soldier in
Iraq. The shirt says 2245 dead how many more. Cindy had been wearing
this shirt all day and wore it to the SOTU. I was told by a
congressional staffer that as far as they were aware there was no dress
code guidelines for the guests who sit in the gallery. Cindy was in the
gallery.
She was seated at 8:30 pm. It was hot in the building so Cindy
unzipped her sweater to remove it. Before she even had it off a capital
police officer began shouting ‘protestor’ and hustled her out of the
chambers. They were very rough and rude with her. She was given a
citation for demonstrating inside the capital building) ..after being
detained for 3 ½ hours.
This has got to stop. How many of your civil liberties are you willing to give up?
No one with a dissenting viewpoint is allowed anywhere near where King George speaks.
Ordinances have been put in place in the county around King Georges
ranch that effectively hinder protestors from exorcizing their right to
free speech and to petition our government officials.
You can’t wear a message t-shirt inside the capital which in effect
is another infringement on our 1st amendment guarantee to freedom of
speech .
King Georges henchmen are spying on American citizens under the guise of battling terrorism.
Show your support for Cindy and daily wear the number of Service
members killed in Iraq on your shirts or blouses. Even you just jot it
on masking tape and stick it to your top. We need to show the
administration and those Americans with their heads in the sand this
horrific number.
UNTIL WE RISE UP AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH THIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE
In Peace,
Dede
________________________
Photos of Police Outside Jail By Bryan Dozier of World Can’t Wait
Note:
in pol2.jpg- the officer is crossing the yellow line, not the protestor
(line seen beneath his glove) and he is touching the protestor
in pol4.jpg- another officer is restraining the hostile officer; we all
witnessed him taking him away
in badge1.jpg, badge2.jpg, badge3.jpg, we can almost make out the badge
number. It looks like 1929, or 1828