Protesters to March on Pentagon

ORGANIZERS OF SATURDAY'S ANTI-WAR MARCH on the Pentagon are billing their protest as the 40th anniversary of the historic march to the Defense Department headquarters during the Vietnam War. Technically, that march — during which thousands of protesters were met by Army troops and U.S. Marshals personnel — happened on Oct. 21, 1967.

Tomorrow's march will fall around the time of the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, but the as The Post's Steve Vogel reports, "the demonstrators will follow literally in the steps of the earlier protesters" across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Pentagon's north parking lot. Will history repeat itself? (Last time, a small contingent tried to force their way inside the Pentagon and a riot erupted, resulting in mass arrests.)

Writes Vogel:

The 1967 march still raises emotions at both ends of the political spectrum. On the left, it is remembered as a time when peaceful marchers were confronted by bayonet-wielding soldiers and beaten. On the right, the march is recalled as a disgraceful event during which military police were subjected to terrible abuse from protesters.

After assembling near the Lincoln Memorial in the morning, the marchers will leave at 12:30 for the Pentagon's North Parking Lot, where a mass rally will take place between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

If you're planning to drive in the area, it'll be best to steer clear of the Roosevelt and Memorial bridges and Washington Boulevard adjacent to the Pentagon. Additionally, buses that serve the Pentagon Transit Center will be detoured to the Pentagon City station.

Also, this evening, thousands of Christians will march from the National Cathedral to the White House to protest the war. Writes The Post's Michael E. Ruane:

Organizers have said that although most marchers will adhere to the permit regulations for the demonstration, several hundred "volunteered" to stage actions of peaceful civil disobedience and face arrest.

The weather for tonight and tomorrow? Pretty nasty.

» "U.S. Marshals and the Pentagon Riot of October 21, 1967" [U.S. Marshals]
» "Once More to the Pentagon" [WaPo]
» "Christian Groups to Stage Protest" [WaPo]
» "Storm Lashes Region: Winter Wakes, If Only Briefly" [Capital Weather]

Graphic by April Umminger and Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso/The Washington Post

Posted By Michael Grass at 2:27 PM on March 16, 2007 Tagged in Free Ride , News , Pentagon , The District , Virginia

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