5/18/2006 Gael Murphy 202 412 6700

Four Peaceful Demonstrators Arrested On Rumsfeld’s Doorstep

Activists attempted to deliver a message asking peace in Iraq and Iran

Four peaceful demonstrators were arrested at 5:30pm today as they attempted to deliver a message of peace to Donald Rumsfeld’s residence on 2206 Kalorama Road in Washington, D.C. They were charged with unlawful entry for nonviolently attempting to deliver the message, which urged the Secretary of Defense to end the war in Iraq, not go to war with Iran, bring all U.S. troops home now, and stop the torture of detainees.

The four arrested are: Peter Perry, 36; David Barrows, 52; Katie Heald, 27; and Mari Blome, 50. The protesters are members of the DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) and CODEPINK: Women for Peace.

The attempted delivery and subsequent arrests followed a march from the White House to Donald Rumsfeld’s residence. The 150-person march down the streets of Washington, D.C. began after demonstrators delivered a petition with 40,000 signatures to the White House, calling on the Administration not to attack Iran.

“I came all the way from Portland, OR to give a message from my community that Donald Rumsfeld should be fired for taking us into this disastrous war,” said Katie Heald of CODEPINK. “The American people want the troops to come home from Iraq,”

David Barrows, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and black hood reminiscent of the infamous Guantanamo prison, said “torture is illegal and immoral, and Donald Rumsfeld is responsible for the inhumane treatment of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. He must be held accountable.”