61 arrests made as ‘polar bears’ block streets

U.S. Capitol Police on Monday morning arrested 61 protesters after some blocked an intersection near the Cannon House Office Building, diverting traffic during the morning rush.

{mosads}The protesters, some wearing polar bear costumes, others wearing giant George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice heads, blocked the intersection at New Jersey and Independence avenues, SE, this morning, just as Capitol Hill employees were arriving for work. Some protesters sat in the road at about 8 a.m., forcing police to temporarily divert traffic, witnesses said.

Police initially arrested 26 people for unlawful assembly at the New Jersey and Independence intersection, and later reported an additional five arrests at that intersection, including two juveniles, Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said. Four juveniles in all were arrested during the day’s protests.

The 61 arrested included 10 people detained for unlawful assembly and creating a disturbance in the Cannon rotunda, and seven people on the sidewalk outside of Cannon. Another 11 were arrested on the southeast drive of the Cannon building, according to Schneider.

Activists, many of whom held signs declaring “No war, no warming,” called for an end to the Iraq war and criticized U.S. policies as contributing to global warming. Groups involved in the protests included the Oil for Change Coalition, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Code Pink, which has been involved in numerous protests this year.

Protesters took aim at both Congress and the administration. For example, retired Army Col. Ann Wright, who said she was protesting with Code Pink and other anti-war groups, said Congress should do the job it was elected to do and end the war. She also criticized Congress for not doing enough on global warming.

“When we have the president and the Congress not doing anything to limit our emissions, we are killing the earth and we are killing the people of Iraq,” Wright said.

Wright shouted, “Come on, Congress, come out and talk to us about this war,” as other anti-war activists held signs that read, “Polar bears for solutions to war and global warming.”

Protester Laurie Arbeiter, who said she represents several anti-war groups, including the New York-based Activist Response Team, charged that the U.S. went into Iraq for oil. “We’re gluttonous and energy-greedy and we’re taking such limited natural resources without concerns,” she said.

The Capitol Hill protests follow World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings over the weekend, which attracted hundreds of protesters. However, representatives of Code Pink insisted the Monday morning protests were not related to World Bank and IMF protests.