Activists from ACT-UP New York and Philadelphia blocked Connecticut Avenue northbound at 12:30 today in protest of the Central America Free Trade Area, or CAFTA, currently in the final stages of negotiation in the adjacent Mayflower Hotel.

Two activists locked themselves to a post in the center island of the street, while three others chained themselves together closer to the sidewalks.

Carrying a sign reading "Bush's CAFTA = Death for People with AIDS", supporters of those doing the direct action chanted "pills cost pennies, CAFTA costs lives" and other slogans highlighting the human cost of patents on AIDS drugs which keep life-saving drugs out of the hands of many.

At least 8 of the activists were arrested on unknown charges and transported to the second division.