Sen. Feinstein home targeted for sit-in Sunday protesting treatment of accused WikiLeaks hacker Bradley Manning, ‘Gitmo’ detainees
Senator Diane Feinstein’s home was targeted by demonstrators Sunday for a “sit-in” as part of protests against what they call the inhumane treatment of Bradley Manning, the Army private charged with disclosing classified information to WikiLeaks.
The sit-in protest started at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Senator Feinstein’s Pacific Heights home. The event was arranged by CodePINK co-founder Medea Benjamin, who participated in the sit-in.
Protesters held a bridge walk and rally/news conference for Manning at the Golden Gate Bridge.
“We are demanding Bradley Manning be freed, and that the U.S. close Guantanamo now,” said Benjamin. “Since elected officials swear to uphold the constitution we feel all of Congress has a serious responsibility to come to a citizen’s defense when their rights are so seriously being violated, as Bradley Manning’s are being violated,” she said.
The CodePINK group is also unhappy that the Guantanamo Bay facility is still open.
“President Obama promised to close Guantanamo within a year. Two years later, not only is Guantanamo open, but a U.S. citizen who may have acted out of conscience to reveal war crimes and failures of U.S. foreign policy is being treated in many of the same cruel ways that Gitmo detainees have: no due process, no charges, indefinite detention, solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, restriction from exercise, not allowed to speak with anyone, not allowed to sleep during day hours, not allowed pen and paper, 23 of 24 hours kept in a small cell,” CodePINK said.