In the month before the war started, Tony (formerly of Pax Christi) and I facilitated two preparation for nonviolent direct action workshops and two nonviolent peacekeeper workshops. On Thursday, March 20th, we had our "Day After" demonstration -- a very mild, symbolic action in which ten people hung banners, draped peace cranes, and bandaged the wounded depicted on the Soldiers and Sailors monument that occupies a full city block downtown next to Public Square and that memorializes those killed in the Civil War. Because of our commitment to nonviolence (with nonviolence guidelines and twenty peacekeepers), we were able to secure the endorsement of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio and the Leadership Team of the local Catholic Congregation of Saint Joseph. If we had had a few more weeks, we had hoped to get endorsements from the United Church of Christ (their national headquarters is in Cleveland) and from Rev. Joan Campbell (the mother of Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, she is former General Secretary of the National Council of Churches and a longtime progressive activist).
When we arrived, we were greeted by thirty sheriffs who blocked all the entrances to the memorial. After some negotiation (with the help of the Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral) and nonviolent transformation, we managed to carry out our action with the help of the Monument Commissioner -- he held the ladder and also helped us read the names of the dead killed in various U.S. wars (both U.S. and opponents). No one ended up getting arrested.
We hope that this action will inspire and encourage many more people in Cleveland to begin to think about resistance and noncooperation with war. Unfortunately, media coverage focused on a few people decapitating and burning an effigy of Bush in Public Square (near our action but several hours later) and dueling chanters (pro- and anti-war) at Kent State University earlier in the day.