The Bay Area group Direct Action to Stop the War [1] marked the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion March 19 by blocking key intersection in downtown San Francisco, staging "die-ins" and halting traffic. The corporate headquarters of Chevron and Bechtel and a military recruiting center were also blockaded. Some 150 were arrested at several sites around the city. (Indybay [2], March 19) Three were charged with felonies such as assault on an officer. (Infoshop News [3], March 20)

Among those arrested were 20 from Act Against Torture [4], who were wearing orange jumpsuits with black hoods over their heads. Also arrested was Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst who became an anti-war icon when he released the "Pentagon Papers." (DPA [5], March 19)

See our last posts on Iraq [6] and the anti-war effort [7].