Four veterans of the current war in Iraq and one supporter, a member of SDS Chicago, were detained at the Pentagon Saturday, September 9, after they attended an open house and left behind flyers providing information about the lethal effects of depleted uranium.
Pictured (l to r) are Tristyn Watson of Chicago, Illinois (SDS); Toby Hartbarger of Muncie, Indiana; Steve Mortillo of Pennington, New Jersey; Geoff Millard of Buffalo, New York; and Joe Hatcher of San Diego, California.
The arrestees were charged with “posting materials” and “disobeying a lawful order.” One of the veterans was not shy about saying that he placed an informational card about depleted uranium on a literature table in the Pentagon’s chapel, which is at the site of the 9-11 plane crash. The other literature on the table, produced at taxpayer expense, included camouflage covered copies of the New Testament and brochures about being a Christian in the military. The five were part of a larger group of veterans and peace activists in DC to attend Camp Democracy (www.campdemocracy.org) who wanted to see what the Pentagon’s open house had to offer. They took along the cards about depleted uranium for educational outreach but had no thought of committing civil disobedience. They were released after a few hours and held a press conference the next day at Camp Democracy. One of the veterans, Geoff Millard, spoke about his participation at Camp Democracy and his shock at having his First Amendment rights violated by the people who sent him to Iraq to fight for freedom. The four veterans arrested are active with Iraq Veterans Against the War, www.ivaw.org or 215-241-7123.
