Peace Vigil in Washington, DC

The Peace Vigil in Washington, DC began August 31, 2005. The Gold Star Families for Peace vigil in Crawford, Texas, ended when President George W. Bush cut short his 5-week vacation on his Crawford ranch three days early after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005.

---

The Washington, DC Peace Vigil

On August 11, 2005, Gold Star Families for Peace co-founder Cindy Sheehan said that she and others would move the vigil to Washington, D.C. "to continue applying pressure on the president amid what she sees as a 'turning tide' on popular sentiment on the war." [1]

In an August 25, 2005, briefing for reporters at Camp Casey, Sheehan said she that she was "planning an antiwar bus tour of the country next month, ending Sept. 24 in Washington, where she plans to set up a permanent vigil until Bush agrees to meet with her, as she has sought in Texas."

National Bus Tour

"Cindy also vowed she would lead a national bus tour beginning September 1 and ending September 24 in Washington D.C. That is the day that United for Peace and Justice and other anti-war groups are organizing a rally and march in D.C. Mark Anderson of the organization Eyes Wide Open also spoke at the press conference. Eyes Wide Open organized an exhibition on the human costs of the Iraq war that features a pair of boots honoring each U.S. military casualty. The group had been traveling with Casey's boots for the week."

Information: Bring Them Home Now Tour.org website.

Arrested

Cindy Sheehan "was among several hundred demonstrators who marched around the White House on Monday and then stopped in front and began singing and chanting 'Stop the war now!'," Associated Press's Jennifer C. Kerr reported September 25, 2005.

"Sheehan and several dozen other protesters sat down on the sidewalk after marching along the pedestrian walkway on Pennsylvania Avenue. Police warned them three times that they were breaking the law by failing to move along, then began making arrests. ... The demonstration is part of a broader anti-war effort on Capitol Hill organized by United for Peace and Justice, an umbrella group. Representatives from anti-war groups were meeting Monday with members of Congress to urge them to work to end the war and bring home the troops," Kerr wrote.

External links

• "Cindy Sheehan resumes anti-war vigil," AFP, August 25, 2005.
• Adam Entous, "Protesters at Bush ranch plan road trip to Washington," Reuters (Washington Post), August 25, 2005.
• "Peace Mom Plans Anti-War Bus Tour," WBZ1030.com (Boston)/CBS, August 25, 2005.
• Amy Goodman, "Grieving Military Mothers Rally Around Cindy Sheehan at Camp Casey," Democracy Now!, August 26, 2005. Includes audio and video links and rush transcript.
• Sam Coates, "Standoff Continues in Crawford; As Bush, Sheehan Return, Both Sides Plan Rallies," Washington Post (MichaelMoore.com), August 26, 2005.
• Angela K. Brown, "Protest by Bush Ranch Readies to Hit Road," Associated Press (Guardian/UK), August 30, 2005: "Pro-Bush rallies also are expected in cities along the bus tour, which will follow northern, central and southern routes. In some cases, protesters may walk into the offices of a Congress member, ... Sheehan will be on the southern route, with its first stop in Austin for a Wednesday afternoon rally. Its next event will be Friday in Houston, the district of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay."
• Sarah Feguson, "NYPD Unplugs Cindy Sheehan. City’s Finest pulls move even Bush wouldn’t have tried," Village Voice, September 19, 2005: "The NYPD pulled the plug just as Sheehan was calling on the audience not to lose heart in the fight to end the war in Iraq." See WMP and QT video on Crooks and Liars website, as well as links to more on this story.
• Marc Santora, "Mother Who Lost Son in Iraq Continues Fight Against War," New York Times, September 19, 2005: Cindy "brought her campaign to end the war to New York, where she accused Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of not doing enough to challenge the Bush administration's Iraq policies."
• Joshua Frank, "NYPD Unplugs Cindy Sheehan. But Not the Anti-War Movement," CounterPunch, September 21, 2005.
• Caren Bohan, "Antiwar mom Sheehan takes protest to White House," Reuters (Yahoo! News), September 21, 2005.
• Sarah Ferguson, "Cindy Sheehan Caravan Stopped by Capitol Police. Bring Them Home Now treks afoot to press conference," Village Voice, September 21, 2005.
• Sarah Ferguson, "What Hillary Told Cindy. Sheehan and company get face time with senators Clinton, Reid, Lieberman. McCain’s next," Village Voice, September 22, 2005.
• Johanna Neumann, "Antiwar Bus Tour Rolls Into Capital for Protests," Los Angeles Times (Common Dreams), September 23, 2005: "Organizers hope that 100,000 will gather this weekend to urge an Iraq troop withdrawal. But some military families are not on board."