On September 2l, 2006, several hundred people gathered at the Rochester Federal building to hear representatives from different faith communities call for an end of the Iraq war and for the need to build a lasting peace and attend to human needs. It was organized by a local coalition affiliated with Declaration of Peace, and the peace pledge, signed by many participants, called on Congress to complete, before the November elections, a plan to rapidly end the Iraq war. We pledged to participate in marches, rallies, demonstrations, Congressional contacts, and other peaceful strategies to help establish a plan. If Congress remained unresponsive, we pledged, as conscience dictates, to engage in non-violent civil disobedience until a comprehensive plan to rapidly end the war was established.

Many months have passed, accompanied by daily deaths and minds, bodies, and psyches irrevocably damaged. Congress continues to ignore the will of the people it was elected to serve. And the people of heart and conscience are becoming more willing to confront their representatives with acts of non-violent civil disobedience.

This is what happened this past Friday when, with support people outside with END THE WAR, BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW signs, the WAR NO MORE ELEVEN, a group organized by the Declaration of Peace coalition, occupied Senators Chuck Shumer and Hilliary Clinton and Representative Louise Slaughter`s office declaring they would remain until the Congresspeople would l) de-fund the war and occupation of Iraq, 2) Co-sponsor legislation calling for the safe and rapid withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq and closure of all bases in Iraq, 3) bear responsibility for the destruction in Iraq and the cost of reconstruction there, 4) rescind prior agreements giving control of the Iraqi economic sector to occupying forces, and 5) oppose all plans to attack Iran. The occupiers continued to read the names of Iraqi and American dead until the Federal building was officially closed at which time Homeland Security said they were free to leave without charges or otherwise a court appearance ticket would be issued with an automatic $500.00 fine. Three of the occupiers were issued appearance tickets.

The importance of ending not just this pre-emptive, immoral, devastating war but all wars remains paramount in the minds and hearts of people of conscience, and we can expect an increasing number of actions similar to that of the WAR NO MORE ELEVEN until the will of the people prevails in the halls of Congress.