15 Arrested At White House Protesting U.S. Torture Practices

[The Straight Story]

15 Arrested At White House Protesting U.S. Torture Practices E-mail this
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Mike Ferner, Electronic Iraq, 2 March 2006


Members of Witness Against Torture (Photo: Jeff Leys)

Washington – Fifteen people were arrested yesterday in front of the White House after winding their way for two hours through the streets of the nation's capital, demanding the U.S. stop torturing detainees in military prisons.

Members of Witness Against Torture began their protest at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, continuing to the Capitol and the Department of Justice, and ending at the White House where U.S. Park Police carried out the arrests. Speakers called on officials in each of the buildings to cease planning and executing policies that have injured and killed people in prisons such as Guantanamo Bay, Bagram in Afghanistan, and Abu Ghraib in Iraq.

Arrested were Art Laffin, of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Washington, Amanda and Matt Dalaisio, and Tania Theriault of the Catholic Worker's Mary House in New York, Susan Crane from Jonah House in Baltimore, Matt Vogel, Mark Colville, Brian Kavanaugh, Carmen Trotta, Jacqueline Allen-Doucot, Alice Gerard, Bill Streit, Tom Feagley, Edith Tetaz and Jordan Manuel.

The march took place on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, an annual period when Catholics pray and fast to repent for sins. Speakers included many Biblical references in their remarks.

At the Department of Justice, Bill Streit used passages from the Book of Isaiah to condemn the DOJ's role in torturing prisoners. "Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt; Your lips speak falsehood, and your tongue utters deceit...Right is repelled and justice stands far off; for truth stumbles in the public square. Honesty is lacking, and the man who turns from evil is despoiled."

http://electroniciraq.net/news/2289.shtml

[rodeodance]

1. I am happy to see this (not the arrest)

[file83]

2. Now those people are brave Americans. I can't beleive that Bush

is now having Catholics arrested! Those are Christians! Damn, Bush can dish it out but can't take it himself.

[CoffeeCat]

3. So...for what were they arrested?

Isn't it legal to protest in front of the White House?

[loudsue]

4. That's what I was wondering! What are the charges against them?

:kick: