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On Thursday January 11th anti-war protests took place across the country to protest Bush's escalation in Iraq. In Palo Alto, community members gathered at El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road, to protest against "this amplification of an outrageous and illegal failed war that has already resulted in the deaths of over three thousand U.S. troops as well as hundreds of thousands of Iraqis". In San Francisco, there was an anti-war march starting at 5pm at Powell and Market Streets. Many other anti-war events took place around the Bay Area, including protests in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, El Cerrito, Mountain View, San Jose, Petaluma, San Rafael, and Benicia.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Video | Report

Peter Laufer writes, "This is an open letter I wrote to the son of one of my best friends after I heard he was being deployed to the Iraq War. As the author of Mission Rejected: U.S. Soldiers Who Say No to Iraq, I felt obligated to make sure he knew his alternatives and to do all I could to dissuade him from boarding the outbound plane. I failed, but perhaps publishing the letter may influence others."

At a news conference in front of the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento on January 4, members of the Sacramento Coalition to End the War launched a campaign to pressure Representative Doris Matsui and Congress to stop funding the Iraq occupation.

On January 4th, Lt. Ehren Watada sat before a military judge in Ft. Lewis, WA for a pre-trial hearing that defined what will be admissible during the court-martial, which begins on February 5th. The Army's lead prosecutor, Captain Daniel Kuecker, repeatedly defended his subpoenas of civilian reporters Sarah Olson and Gregg Kakesako, and anti-war activists Phan Nguyen and Gerri Haynes, as “relevant” and “admissible” for the prosecution. These reporters and activists remain under order to take the stand on Feb. 5th. Report and photos

Meanwhile, Iraq Veterans Against the War Deployed established "Camp Resistance", an encampment outside the gates of Ft. Lewis to support Lt. Watada that will remain through the upcoming court-martial. Photos

In San Francisco, 28 protesters were arrested after over 200 people gathered at the Federal Building on January 4 to show support for Watada. Photos: 1 | 2 | Video

On January 3, 2007, Supporters of Spc. Suzanne Swift rallied outside Fort Lewis, Washington to welcome the news that Swift had been released from military prison. Photos
On December 14 Swift was convicted by a summary court martial for missing movement and being AWOL after her charges of sexual harassment and assault went un-addressed by the military.

In conjunction with hundreds of demonstrations around the U.S., Bay Area CODEPINK Women for Peace marked the 3,000th U.S. combat death in Iraq with a planned walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. The San Francisco contingent was met by law enforcement who told them that the bridge was private property and they were not allowed to walk across it. According to eyewitness and arrestee Janet Weil: "Ten of us, eight women and two men, were arrested after a two-and-a-half hour "stand-in" at the southern end of the bridge. The charge: "trespassing on the Golden Gate Bridge" even though it is a public bridge, AND we never were permitted to set foot on the bridge until, ironically, we were arrested by the CHP." Audio From KPFA Report

A cameraman from News 7 San Franciso was assaulted by the police, who pushed his camera back into his face, injuring his eye and damaging the camera. As the cameraman was taken to the hospital ,the police officer invoved covered his badge number.

Peace activists in Fresno held a commemoration for the 3,000 Americans that have died fighting in Iraq. The event was held at Peace Corner and organized by Peace Fresno. At least 150 people attended. Photos