ICUJP, representing more than fifty faith and secular organizations, participated in the National Moratorium to Stop the War on Iraq March 5, 2003. An interfaith service theme of "Ashes To Ashes" brought our "NO WAR" message to the steps of the downtown Los Angeles Federal Building.

Please see the links to the speeches by ICUJP Steering Committee members and others, all are powerful calls to conscience.

After the service 19 members of ICUJP and others engaged in a 90 minute long act of civil disobedience in the streets for which they were arrested.

We Will Not Cooperate with this War!

Two accounts of the action follow along with pictures taken by Scott Galindez and Claire Gorfinkel.

For news of other Civil Disobedience actions in the Los Angeles area, please see the Iraq Pledge of Resistance at www.peacepledge.org/resist/default.htm

At 7a, about 100 people met at Plaza del Delores and marched to the Federal Building. We had a black banner that said: "Ashes to Ashes: Nonviolent Witness Against War on Iraq. Sanctity of Life"

In front of the banner were eight people carrying urns filled with ashes. Three signs hung from each urn that named some of the causalties and consequences of war, in English and Spanish: Children, Environment, Elder Care, Healthcare, Genocide, etc. Behind the banner marched the clergy (all in their most ceremonical clerical garb) and the CD participants with their white and green armbands. Then came the ICUJP banner and then the rest of the marchers. We sang as we marched.

At the Federal Building, we gathered around and Rev. David Wheeler spoke about the symbolism of ashes in Christian tradition. Rev. George Regas welcomed the crowd and then the Aztec dancers danced.

Father Chris Ponnet announced the beginning of a "Wednesday Fast for Peace" for each Wednesday during Lent.

I read ICUJP's statement on March 5 and then a number of our members spoke about ashes and sanctity of life from the perspective of their traditions: Rev. Leland Stewart (Unity and Diversity Fellowship), Kabira (Sufi), Rabbi Steve Jacobs (Jewish), Abbot Mu Mun (Buddhist), Sister Edith del Penate and Kamal Abu-Shamsieh (Muslim), Bishop Mary Anne Swenson of United Methodist Church, Sister Anne Field (Catholic/Christian), and attorney Steve Rohde (U.S. Constitution). They were all so eloquent and moving -- we were so proud of them. Then, George spoke again and invited the crowd and the CD participants to come forward and mark themselves with ashes to show our complicity in the acts of the government, which we all did. Then, the 19 CD participants moved to the front of the federal builidng (on the sidewalk).

I don't know all the people or names, but here's who I remember: George, Chris, Ed, Pat, Margaret, Lisa, Jonathan Parfrey, and Catherine Morris and Jeff Dietrich from Catholic Worker. They dumped the ashes from the urns onto the sidewalk to mark the government's shameful acts. Then, they linked arms, blocking pedestrian traffic and sang and the rest of us surrounded and supported them. The LAPD refused to arrest, so they knelt linking arms across Los Angeles street and stopped the traffic in both directions, but still the police refused to arrest -- they blocked off the street at both ends so no cars could come through. So, the CD participants moved to the intersection of Temple and Los Angeles and stood diagonally blocking traffic.

The supporters stood on the corners singing and chanting.

I needed to leave for a meeting a few minutes after nine, so my last sight was of our couragous members fanned out across that intersection while Cynthia negotiated with the police. Here's what I heard about what happened after I left: The CD participants were arrested around 10a. Apparently there was some dialogue with the police about the supporters massed on the sidewalks and whether they were an unlawful assembly but Cynthia and her National Lawyers' Guild colleague, Bob, resolved the problem. The CD participants were arrested around 10a and released around noon. They will be charged with a misdemeanor.

Peace on earth, Adrienne

Today my beloved friends in ICUJP and others observed the March 5 National Moratorium to Stop the War in an act of civil disobedience against the war...

We gathered near la Placita Olvera on this Ash Wednesday to act in conscious resistance to the war. Our theme was "Ashes to Ashes" and we had containers of ashes with signs on them, in English and español -- "Afghanistan, Civil Liberties, Children, Childcare, Healthcare, Phillipines, Columbia, Iraq, Hiroshima, Homeless, Education, Environment, Immigrant's Rights, Human Dignity, Genocide" -- to carry to the Downtown LA Federal Building in a procession with signs and banners.

Reaching the steps of the Federal Building a few blocks away, we listened as members of many faiths in their clerical garb spoke about the violent, immoral and dishonest actions of our "leader" Bush. They drew attention to the reality of what may be about to occur -- 200-400 cruise missiles to be fired into a city of 2 million unarmed people in a 48 hour period... an equivalent Hiroshima... a slaughter of Human Beings unthinkable in the scale of its criminality.

Our Faith leaders invited people everywhere to share a close examination of our own closely held values and to make an determined effort to come closer to "god"... or community. To see the truth in what has been said by millions in the world and by all our faith traditions -- that war is not the answer. To devote our lives in work to build and not to destroy. We heard that "...systems of war and violence must stop and new systems of life and community replace them to fulfill the promise of abundant life..." (paraphrase from a United Methodist Bishop who used to minister at Dick Chaney's church, see below).

ICUJP speakers eloquently and with passion delivered our heartfelt messages of nonviolent resistance to war and injustice and the tyranny implicit in any system that fosters these evils. These were speeches of historic weight... words rang out which carried a force like a running river in their truth and intent. The helicopters' din overhead faded in the background as focus was held on speakers, some with otherwise gentle voices...

A ceremony began and many of us came forth to rub ashes on ourselves to signify our own complicity in the coming and past acts of violence done in our name by our government... and to signify that we identify with our neighbors and do not consider ourselves to be morally superior to anyone.

But the evil of the acts engaged in by our national leaders compel us in our own self-examination to call attention certain imminent crimes and failures of moral social order. Our government is now controlled by men who openly move to attack and kill innocents in the hundreds of thousands; they move to discard our own Constitution in the elevation of themselves as a new class of authority; they abandon reference to the will of the people and show contempt for the people's interests, safety and rights.

We all then walked to the front of the Federal building on a narrow strip of city sidewalk. The designated arrestees took the ashes and spread them on the sidewalk in front of the US Federal Building on city property. That was something for which it was believed they potentially could be arrested, but the act went uncontested and was complete in a few minutes. This left the CD protesters in the position of having to think on their feet so to speak about how to proceed toward their goal of getting arrested.

After some kind of conference (I could not see being behind my banner) the clerics and others numbering approx. 20 and including the Convener of ICUJP Rev. George Regas walked into Los Angeles Street where they knelt in one lane blocking traffic. Fully expecting that this would trigger an immediate arrest, they held a dignified pose there and waited. And waited. And waited...

After waiting 10 minutes or so, they got up and took the other lane also, completely blocking all traffic in either direction of Los Angeles Street. By this time the police had indeed taken action, but not the expected one -- they had instead blocked incoming cars at distant intersections diverting the public away from the entire area, so that there would be no traffic to block.

Then slowly, several people who were not intending arrest gingerly came out into the street to join the still-kneeling CD protesters. Pamela and I joined them with one of the ICUJP banners. After another 15 minutes holding the pose there, the group decided to get up and walk toward Parker Center Police HQ, toward the intersection of Temple and Los Angeles.

A procession of about 150 began to march, chant and sing down the empty Los Angeles Street. Only a mild police force was present, maintaining a perimeter and isolating the event from the public at large. Both LAPD and Federal Police were in the street. Noticeably absent were any armored or SWAT type police, only uniforms. No overt display of masked, helmeted, heavily armed men, tear gas rifles, snipers on nearby roofs or other measures I've seen so many times before in that same location.

This time however, the group confronting the state was not an easily stereotyped and marginalized bunch of "anarchists" or "communists." In fact, the Bishop of the Southern California United Methodist Church, a woman who formerly ministered in Dick Chaney's church, was present to condemn the war and the arrogance Bush is exhibiting with his "un-Christian" acts and plans.

Moving into the intersection, which had already been cleared of traffic by the police, it became apparent that the Rabbis, Priests, Buddhist monks, Reverends and others present were not going to be arrested even yet... there were now perhaps 100 or so people all milling around and circulating with signs and banners in the intersection. The CD protesters stood in a diagonal line stretching from one corner toward the other holding hands and singing. The police watched... and did nothing.

The cameras of many local and probably some national tv stations and the still photographers found their tableaus and sound-bites crowding around the hand-holding civilly disobedient and radiantly resistant protesters. The sun shone in a clear bright sky, perfectly blue and clean after a rain with snow on Mt. Baldy in the distance...

We walked around the intersection carrying our banner that says "War Is Not The Answer"... the "Ashes To Ashes" banner was held on a corner facing the CD protesters.... the Catholic Worker banner said "Stop War" on another corner... signs had quotes from Gandhi and people chanted "Peace! Now!", the whole crowd joined together in song.

After about an hour, the police finally issued the declaration of an unlawful assembly and ordered the people in the street to disperse, which they did not. It was still quite awhile before the officers began to arrest each protester one by one, asking questions, putting on the plastic handcuffs, leading each one to a shady area on some grass on the corner. As each of our friends were arrested we called out to them and clapped... then sang some more...

I do not at present know what has become of the arrestees except to say that legal and logistical help is close by. The expectation given to the crowd by lawyers present was that all would be released in a couple of hours, meaning that the next thing I'll hear after finishing this is the rest of the story. We are all still very much in the act of writing the story and changing it by how we live!

Anyway, pretty good start for a day. Over 50 schools in the LA area are in the act of walking out from classes as I write... later today there will be an evening convergence at the Federal Building for the gathering of persons who spent the day in resistance to this evil war, in action to bring forth a new priority for Justice and Peace in the world.

peace, Terry