Posted: 04/04/07

Protest for peace
Demonstrators stage a protest in Congressman's office

Cailey McDermott | contributing writer
cmcdermott@smcvt.edu

After a five hour sit-in at Congressman Peter Welch’s (D-Vt.) Burlington offices on Wed. March 21, six demonstrators were handcuffed and escorted out of the building.

Six protesters were handcuffed and escorted out of Congressman Peter Welch's Burlington office after peacefully refusing to leave after closing time. (photo courtesy of Burlington Free Press)

The protestors were there in opposition of Welch’s inclination to vote for a bill that would give $124 million in military spending to the war in Iraq. The bill also includes a mandatory withdrawl date for the troops in Iraq.

More than 20 protestors sat in Welch’s office from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

At 3:30 p.m., Welch called via speakerphone and allowed each demonstrator to voice their concerns over the bill.

Because it was a peaceful demonstration, the Burlington Police were not called until 6 p.m., when it was time to close the offices.

The protesters are watching

Burlington Police Chief Tom Tremblay says he wasn’t involved in the protest until 6 p.m., when the demonstrators refused to leave after closing.

“The protestors were very polite and respectful,” Tremblay says. “They peacefully refused to leave.”

Tremblay says Welch didn’t press charges so the demonstrators were just given trespass notices. He says that the protest was pretty typical and in his career he’s seen over 100 similar cases.

“Causing problems doesn’t make people sympathetic to your cause,” he says, "and I think they understood that.”

Patrick Kearney, a Thetford, Vt. resident and one of the arrested protestors says, “I thought the police were very professional. They asked if we’d walk; we cooperated.”

Dennis Morrisseau, who ran against Welch last year, says he was the only demonstrator at the protest who hadn’t voted for Welch.

“There was an awful lot of horsepower in that room,” Morriesseau says. “We made it clear to Congressman Welch what we’d do—take him out.”

Morisseau says that by voting for the bill, Welch is being hypocritical.

“You can’t be against the war and for it,” he says. “We wanted to make sure Peter understood we were watching him.”

The demonstrators were protesting Welch's decision to vote for a bill that would give $124 million in military spending to the war in Iraq. (photo courtesy of Burlington Free Press)

Throughout the day, there were between 20 and 30 protestors who came and went. Morrisseau wasn’t one of the protestors arrested because he had already left for a prior engagement.

At 3 p.m. Welch called his office and via speakerphone talked to each protestor, Kearney says.

Kearney recalled part of what he said to the congressman:

“The Democratic Party is dead and it doesn’t know it,” he says. "They’ve forgotten what they stand for.”

The protestors say that voting for this bill shows support for the war, but according to Welch’s communication director, Andrew Savage, that isn’t true.

“The key provision of this bill is that it established bench marks on the re-deployment of troops,” Savage says.

Savage says Welch supported the bill because it was a major step in ending the war in Iraq.

“The two options were to vote against this bill or for it,” Savage says. “To vote against the bill would be siding with President Bush and the rest of the Republicans in the house for continuing the war.”

Morrisseau says this bill is non-binding and calls for a deployment of troops starting in Sept. 2008 — just before elections.

“It’s a political game,” he says.

According to a press release, Welch told the speaker of the house, “I will support this bill because it finally puts us on a path to end this unconscionable war.”

Morrisseau says, “If you’re voting for the funding you’re voting for the war.”

To watch Welch’s full statement to the speaker of the house, click here.

Fed up

The protestors say they knew Welch wouldn’t change his mind, but they just wanted him to know how they felt.

“We wanted him to know that we will organize and run against [him],” Morrisseau says. “We will take [Welch] out.”

“There is a sickness in American politics and it’s gone as far as it can go,” Morrisseau says. “Our congressmen need to know that we see them and they are not going to get away with it.”