Ken Butigan, staff at Pace e Bene for over 15 years, spent an afternoon in jail yesterday as part of a nonviolent resistance at the White House. He was one of 34 that were taken into custody by the DC park police and held at the Anacostia jail in Washington D.C.

Butigan and other key leaders of the Declaration of Peace campaign, including Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice, and Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus, took their message to the gates of the White House and refused to leave until either: a withdrawal plan for US troops to leave Iraq and begin a peace process was set; or they were physically removed.

The group of 34 spent over an hour in jail and were charged with disorderly conduct.

Butigan plans to participate in more nonviolent actions througout the next week, as the Declaration of Peace continues in communities across the country, at Congressional offices, homes, and churches.

Two more significant nonviolent civil disobedience actions are planned in Washington DC for Sept. 26 and 27, the focus of which is Congress.

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