Peace Activists Set Up Camp at Speaker's Doorstep

When: 11am, Wednesday, August 15
Where: March from Senator Feinstein's home on 2460 Lyon (at Vallejo)
to Nancy Pelosi's home at 2640 Broadway, San Francisco
Great Photo Opps!

CODEPINK: 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 heald 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, they will set up
camp outside the Pelosi's home.

"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."

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