by Matt Daloisio
January 20, 2009
Washington, DC

As we continue to try and make visible the men who are in Guantanamo, over 110 people from around the country will end the nine-day Fast for Justice, and Witness Against Torture will begin the 100 Days Campaign. Those who have come to DC to participate in the fast will gather in McPherson Square at 7am today, share a simple meal, and then head into the inauguration crowds with our jumpsuits, hoods, leaflets and signs.

On Sunday, eight of us in DC joined the throngs of people going to the Inaugural concert on the Mall. Rather than sporting Obama tee shirts, flags and posters, seven of us wore orange jumpsuits and black hoods and one wore a "Shut Guantanamo" tee shirt. The reception from the celebratory crowd was quite positive.

While some folks were down on the Mall, another group of fasters left the house intending to head to DuPont circle for the daily vigil, only to find the bus wasn't running on that stretch of road. We learned that Obama was attending church up the street, so we waited outside in our jumpsuits and with our signs, again receiving a very positive reception from the crowd that gathered. Some photos of this presence can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_benedetti/3207447650/

Sunday ended with an evening candlelight vigil at the Key Bridge in Arlington, VA, where nearly 5,000 cars drove by folks wearing jumpsuits, hoods and holding candles, signs and banners.

This morning the fasters went down to the Mall and vigiled at the White House, again encountering a very positive public and interested press. After the vigil, as we got off the bus and were on the sidewalk across from the house where we are all staying, the police started shutting down the street, and sure enough, the Obama motorcade drove by again as we stood on our street corner in an impromptu vigil for the President Elect.

We remain hopeful that President Obama will move quickly on Guantanamo, and we remain committed to seeking justice for the men there. We intend to keep the pressure on now that the fast is ending and the 100 Days beginning. We would love your participation in and support of the campaign. Be in touch if you, individually or as a group, want to come and spend some time with us in DC. You can also support the work by going to http://www.100dayscampaign.org/donate.

Peace-
Matt Daloisio

If you’re in DC on Wednesday, January 21st , Witness Against Torture will be hosting former Guantanamo Bay Muslim Chaplain, James Yee. Details can be found at:
http://100dayscampaign.org/node/19

If you’re a Twitter user, you can now keep track of our moment-to-moment updates here:
http://twitter.com/100dayscampaign