Obama Campaign Office staff of a mid-Manhattan building may have heard the cries of "Free Bradley Manning" that came from the curb 20 floors below. Almost 75 people gathered to protest loudly the persecution, torture and detainment of Manning for allegedly leaking information to Wikileaks.
Some signs were hand-lettered and defended the right to blow the whistle on war crimes. A large banner read "Free Bradley Manning, Stop the Wars, Expose the Lies" with VfP logos. Chants were punctuated by a tambourine and whistles.
Bill Gilson and George McAnanama, Veterans for Peace, attempted to deliver a letter to the campaign staff addressed to President Obama. They were blocked at the lobby security desk and told that the staff had left instructions that no one was to be allowed up. Gilson and McAnanama then asked if the staff would be willing to come downstairs to accept the letter in the lobby. A phone call was unanswered and no one came down. Therefore, the letter was left with security to hand deliver.
Gilson spoke to the crowd on leaving the lobby, assuring them that the letter had already been posted to the White House because "I have more faith in the post office than in Obama Hq."
A TV crew from Ecuador interviewed a number of participants,including Fran Korotzer who told of a warm reception at the Ecuadorian Consulate in NY when she and others arrived there to express their gratitude to Ecuador for its granting asylum to Julian Assange.
Gilson spoke of his anger at the inhumane treatment of Manning and his disappointment in the US President. The crowd remained until 6:30 pm. All in all, it was a good day for Bradley.