WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who became an anti-war activist after her son was killed in Iraq, was arrested Monday outside of the White House -- apparently in a deliberate act of peaceful civil disobedience.
Sheehan was part of a crowd of several hundred gathered in front of the White House to stage an anti-war protest. When protestors drew too near the White House they were directed to leave by officers of the U.S. Park Police.
They were given three warnings, and some dispersed while others remained. Those that refused to leave were arrested.
U.S. Park Police Sgt. Scott Freer said that protestors were being charged with "Demonstrating without a Permit." Freer said it was a peaceful demonstration and that the Park Police were notified ahead of time of the demonstrators' intentions.
"They did what they said they were going to do and we did what we said we were going to do," said Freer.
Sheehan became a national leader of the gathering movement demanding U.S. withdrawal from Iraq after she camped outside President's Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas throughout his long summer vacation, refusing to move until he agreed to meet with her.
Monday's protest was organized by a number of anti-war groups as part of a series of actions taking place throughout the weekend around Washington in protest of the war in Iraq.
Anne Roesler, a member of Military Families Speak Out was among the protesters. "We are tired of this illegal and immoral war," said Roesler, who told United Press International her son is currently serving a third rotation in Iraq.
Arrested demonstrators will be fined $50 and released, "sometime tonight," according to Freer. They have the option of going to court to contest the fine.
He said approximately 370 people had been arrested.
Gordon Clark, one of the coordinators of the demonstration said, "When our protests are not heard and our lobbying isn't heard, we need to take the next action, we need to use our bodies to be heard."
Clark suggested that if the day's protest did not produce results then the next actions to take place would be at military recruitment centers around the country and they would be much less centralized.
Sarah Steiner, 34, whose said her brother is a reservist who has served in Iraq, was among those arrested. "I'll do anything I can to stop this war, I'll use my body in a non-violent way to keep my brother from being called back," said Steiner.
Sheehan is the mother of U.S. Army Spec. Casey Austin Sheehan, who was killed while serving in Iraq in April 2004. Sheehan is one of the founding members of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization that seeks to end the war in Iraq and to support the families of fallen soldiers.
Anne Wright, a former senior U.S. diplomat who stayed at 'Camp Casey' outside the president's ranch, also chose to be arrested. Wright resigned her post as U.S. deputy chief of mission in Mongolia in protest of the war in March 2003.
