Declaration of Concepcion Picciotto


UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA


     William Thomas, et. al.       |          C.A. No. 94-2742
           Plaintiffs pro se,      |          Judge Charles R. Richey
                                   |
               v.                  |
                                   |
     The United States, et. al.    |
           Defendants.             |

DECLARATION OF CONCEPCION PICCIOTTO

I, Concepcion Picciotto, hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the following is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and understanding:

  1. I have maintained a continuous presence on the White House sidewalk and in the southern portion of Lafayette Park since August, 1981, for the purpose of communicating the urgency of the global elimination of nuclear weapons.


  2. I believe that my communicative presence is the greatest service I can preform for the God of Life and Truth.


  3. I never threatened the security, or impeded the passage of any person.


  4. In February, 1993 a man named Esyededeea Aesfyza began putting a sign with a swatzska right next to my signs. Mr. Aesfyza would then leave his sign and stand thirty or forty feet away. Many people passing by, mistaking Mr. Aesfyza'a swatzska sign for one of mine, would give me a hard time about the sign. If I said, "It's not my sign," people would say, "Whose is it? There's no one else around."


  5. Even though Officer O'Neil has often threatened me not to go more than three feet from my signs, once when I complained to Officer O'Neil about Mr. Aesfyaz's behavior, Officer O'Neil told me, "This is a free park. You don't like his sign, I don't like your sign."


  6. Even though I have not given any reason to believe I am violating the
    1

    camping regulation,, Officer O'Neill threatens to arrest me for camping on a regular basis.


  7. Officer O"Neill has often banged his stick on my signs, and told me, "No camping," when he had no reason to say that.


  8. On or about December 19th Officers O'Neill, Keness and others threatened to arrest me and confiscate the exact same cooler that I have had at my signs every day for years -- in view of dozens if not hundreds of police officials -- without ever having an official (or unofficial) hint that it may have been illegal.


_________________________________
Concepcion Picciotto
December 21, 1994