During our years of demonstrating outside the White House since 1981, many other protests have perched or paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue and stopped briefly in Lafayette Park, with hopes of catching the attention of the President. Creativity surfaces in sometimes surprising ways, until squashed by bored officials.
Lafayette Park has been a political forum since 1917, when women Suffragists stood at the gates to the White House and protested for Women's Rights.
For example, in 1999 demonstrations have mingled on weekends: Kosovans, both for and against NATO bombings in April; impeachment enthusiasts. And Catholic Workers have vigiled each Friday since Spring 1998 to lift sanctions in Iraq and (April to June 1999) to stop the bombing in Yugoslavia as well as Iraq.
In April 1996 Sister Dianna Ortiz vigiled for truth from the CIA about torture in Guatemala; in June, Burmese students vigiled for democracy; in August, N.O.W. vigiled on behalf of poor mothers and children affected by the welfare bill. In 1997 Rich Meyer fasted for 300 hours in honor of 300 Palestinians losing their homes. Taiwanese, Tibetans, and East Timorese are among the many who have spoken out. Latinamericanos have fasted several times for justice for immigrants. And people still return to the park to ask about Dr. Charles Hyder, who fasted for nuclear disarmament for several months in 1986-87. Nor will many adults forget the tragic ending of Norman Mayer in 1982. The Community for Creative Non-Violence created "Reaganville" to raise consciousness about the homeless people sleeping in the streets of Washington DC.
Even though some causes may be different than ours, we are all fighting the same battles for human rights and dignity. The views expressed by these demonstrations are not necessarily our views. Please browse throuh the list on your left for a small sample of the many actions we have seen in front of the White House. More information will be added as time permits.
<One traveler who wandered through in 1996 returned in 1998 and has been a valued addition to the Peace Park crew. Thanks Rudy!
We are a group of individuals who have come together to say it is time to END ALL WARS !! The War mentality inherently is the destruction of trust between us, therefore removing the ability for us to come together in these rapidly changing times.
We believe that by ending the drug war, a war on people, an important step toward WORLD PEACE will be ACHIEVED. The misrepresentation of FACTS in this war is deplorable. Certain drugs are targeted and persecuted while more dangerous drugs such as Dioxin, alcohol and nicotine are constantly released into our environment for the sake of corporate profit and little is being done about it. Allegations that the government is using the drug trade to finance arms deals is just another way we are being mislead.
Outraged ? Why Not ? ? Our individual freedoms are eroding daily. People of conscious are constantly being suppressed. It is time for a change, time to take our country back, time to guarantee that our future generations will have a future. It is time to STOP sacrificing our brothers, sisters and children for pointless traditions. It is time to hold our leaders accountable for their actions. It is time to stop the senseless violence. Increase the PEACE. The time for rhetoric is long past. NOW is the time for ACTION ! ! ! Do as you will be done unto. Non-compliant Non-Violence is a giant stride toward WORLD PEACE. Shake off the corporate monster gobbling our futures and pulling the strings on our puppet politicians. Boycott their products, write letters, wake up your own neighborhood. We MUST all stand together to keep the LIBERTY we were born into.
We must all stand for FREEDOM before it all DISAPPEARS.