Peace protest ends in arrests

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Ten anti-war protesters were arrested at Rep. Jim Matheson's office Monday after they refused to leave at closing time.

South Salt Lake police arrested 10 people for investigation of trespassing, a class B misdemeanor, at the Democratic congressman's office near 240 East and 2400 South Monday about 5:30 p.m., Capt. Chris Snyder said. Demonstrators refused to leave when the office closed at 5 p.m.

Nine people were booked into Salt Lake County Jail. One person was released shortly after she was arrested. because she was on a motorized scooter, making jail accommodations difficult, Snyder said.

Police arrested the protesters while they were sitting inside Matheson's office. But the arrest was peaceful, Snyder said.

The demonstrators had no complaints about their treatment by police. The event went so well they are considering future sit-ins.

While being escorted to a bus with the other arrested demonstrators, Shea Pickelner called the pending war in Iraq "immoral and unjust."

She believes she must go to jail because, "I feel like I've exhausted all other recourse for expressing that opinion."

Pickelner and other members of Utah Citizens for Peace entered Matheson's office Monday and demanded he change his stand on the pending war. They refused to leave his office if that stand didn't change — even if it meant some arrests, said Pete Litster, one of the organizers.

The pending war violates the U.S. Constitution because Congress hasn't officially declared war. It could violate international law because the United States is acting without consent of the United Nations. The lives, economies and environments of many nations could be ruined by war, a Utah Citizens for Peace statement said.

"We stand against an administration that is betraying the best traditions and the true interests of this country," Litster said. "This is unacceptable."

Of the Utah senators and representatives in Washington, demonstrators targeted Matheson because "we were hoping as a Democrat and someone who claims to have a progressive (viewpoint), he'd take a stand with his colleagues" against the war, Litster said.

Matheson released a statement to the group in support of the troops and money to support their efforts in the Middle East. "I support — as has been this country's policy since 1998 — a regime change in Iraq. Saddam Hussein is a terrible tyrant who has murdered his own people," it said.