Beltway Area Indymedia

(Audio: 3 min 57 seconds)
At a little after noon on April 26, protesters from many antiwar groups staged a noisy, disruptive joint action inside the Hart senate office building. Protesters demanded NO funding for the war on any terms-and the impeachment of Bush and Cheney!

As things began, cops were busy chasing what looked like the usual protests and the usual protesters inside the Hart building. On the way in, one cop even asked "uniformed" Code Pink activists if they were expecting "a short day."

While cops dealt with a small banner and people reading letters from military families, other activists got ready, At 12:30PM, two giant banners dropped from the 7th floor, covering up windows of the 6th floor and extending nearly to the fifth floor!

As the banners unfurled, the crowd on the Atrium floor erupted in a storm of people yelling "Impeach" at the top of their lungs. One banner read "Your silence, your legacy" while the other was simply the article of the US constitution providing for impeachment of the president, VP, etc.

Just as cops were removing the banners, someone started up on the 5th floor with a trumpet playing taps. As son as the trumpet was silenced, a mock funeral for someone killed in the war started up on the atrium floor-and then the cops finally pounced on the resulting visible target.

Cops surrounded that area and set a perimeter for arrests. At first they asked people if they were in or out, but then things started turning nasty. One person was grabbed and thrown in as the plastic cuffs were distributed, and one cop pointed to me as I slipped into the crowd of spectators.

At that point, it was time to go-and time to bring out the news instead of letting the cops capture it.

If anyone knows how many were arrested, please post an update here!