Pelosi Refuses Hunger Strikers Request
for Public Meeting on War

Peace Activists Set Up Camp at Speaker’s Doorstep

Speaker and San Francisco Congressional Representative Nancy Pelosi
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

From CodePink

August 18, 2007

Women for Peace, along with other peace groups, have been asking for a meeting with Congresswoman Pelosi about the war from the time she became Speaker in January 2007. They called, faxed, emailed, and visited her office in San Francisco. With no response, they went to Washington. After a dozen unsuccessful visits to her DC office, they staged a sit-in. Instead of meeting, the Speaker had them arrested.

With the August recess and Congresspeople all over the country meeting with their constituents, CODEPINK and a coalition of San Francisco peace groups sent a renewed request for a meeting. After a month with no answer, they started a hunger strike on Sunday, August 12. Three days later, they got a call from the San Francisco scheduler, Shina Skewes-Cox, saying Pelosi was too busy to have any public meeting with her constituents the entire month of August.

“I can’t believe it. Pelosi has not has ONE public meeting this entire year,” said CODEPINK hungerstriker Nancy Mancias. “Aren’t representatives supposed to talk to their constituents? We are desperate to end this war and we have a right to hear what her strategy is.”

The hunger strikers have vowed to continue fasting, calling on the Speaker to change her mind and meet. On Wednesday August 15th, they set up camp outside the Pelosi’s home at 2640 Broadway, San Francisco. On Sunday August 19th they plan to move the camp to Senator Dianne Feinstein’s mansion at 2460 Lyon Street and Vallejo Street.

“The Speaker says her first priority is to end the war. In May Congress caved into Bush by voting $95 billion for war with no timetable for withdrawal. In September, Congress is being asked for another $145 billion,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “Her constituents, who are passionately anti-war, want to know what the Speaker plans to do and how we can help. She has a responsibility to meet with us.”

Code Pink cofounder Medea Benjamin

Visit www.codepinkalert.org and for more info on CODEPINK

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