Anti-war protesters detained after leaving without resistance from Senate gallery

Capitol Police detained several members of an anti-war coalition Tuesday following an unusual protest in the Senate gallery.
America Stands Watch activists entered the chambers through the congressional galleries, which are open to the public.
Three Iraq war veterans stood first — signaling fellow protesters to rise and “stand watch” over Congress.

About 20 people stood up in the Senate galleries, in violation of chamber rules, and were asked to leave. “They can’t stand up in the galleries,” Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said.

{mosads}After the group left without resistance, they were detained by several Capitol Hill police officers. Although several aides looked up at the demonstration, there were fewer than a dozen people on the floor at the time.

The group’s leaders said the protest was designed to get attention and to help end an unpopular war.

Protester and veteran Aaron Hughes said he signed up for the Illinois National Guard expecting to provide humanitarian relief to war-torn Iraq. Instead the sergeant drove a supply truck for almost a year. Now, he said, he’s tired of waiting for Congress to end the war.

“People need to take action instead of continuing the discourse,” he said. “There are people dying every single day while they
wait.”

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he welcomed the protesters, although he was not on the floor during the protest. “It’s entirely appropriate for the Iraq veterans to come to the Capitol and express themselves,” he said.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said she knows that Americans’ patience with the war is running thin: “They [protesters] have to go by the rules of decorum in the Senate, but you know people are really frustrated and I understand that they want to express their opinions.”

Former New York Army National Guard Sgt. Geoff Millard, a registered Republican and America Stands Watch participant, said he was in favor of the war when it started, but that over time he lost faith in the cause. “We don’t do this because we hate America,” he said. “Our doing this is for love of country.”

Sgt. Adam Kokesh is a Marine veteran who worked with contractors in Iraq to help rebuild that country’s infrastructure. He said he stood over Congress to bring justice to the people of Iraq and to the soldiers stationed there.

“I’ve come to realize the power of our voice as veterans, and with that power comes responsibility,” Kokesh said.

Demonstrator Kathy Morrison’s son is a Marine serving in Iraq. She came to protest a war she said has failed. “At this point, the military has done what it can do — the surge is working, but the politics are not,” she said.

Later in the day, the group led a similar protest in the House chambers, although participants were not detained there.

America Stands Watch co-founder Nick Jehlen said the protest was designed to be unique. “This is not about us occupying Congress and making noise,” he said. “This is about citizens really going in the halls of power where the decisions are made.”

The group provided volunteers with a step-by-step plan on how the protest was to be carried out, including details on where to pick up tickets for the galleries and a warning against bringing anything into the chambers.

“Leave everything you can at home. You’ll be asked to check all of these things before entering, and security may not be very helpful in retrieving your items after the action.”

The protest was coordinated over the Internet, so organizers weren’t sure how many people would participate. They said they considered the protest a success.

Organizers mailed letters to each member of Congress, notifying them of the event. The letters stated, “We tried voting. We tried marches. We tried writing letters and making phone calls. Now we’re coming to the House and Senate chambers. We’re done waiting for Congress to do its job.”

The coalition also organized a “Turn your back on Bush” protest at President Bush’s 2004 inaugural parade. More than 5,000 people turned their backs to the president as he drove past, symbolizing, Jehlen said, “the fact that the whole country was not in favor of him.”