From the NYC Chapter of World Can’t Wait
To mark the beginning of the next phase of accused whistle-blower Bradley Manning’s pre-trial hearings and noting that he has spent 825 days in prison, some under torturous conditions, World Can’t Wait organized an activity at Grand Central Station in NYC. The plan was to circulate within the station carrying images of Manning that stated “I am Bradley Manning” along with signs that said, “Blowing the whistle on war crimes is not a crime”. Leaflets would also be handed out. At the sound of a whistle participants would freeze in place and then resume walking at the sound of another whistle.
Before entering the station a brief discussion took place between a police captain on duty at the station and an organizer at which time the captain informed the organizer that whistles could not be used. As the 10 participants entered the station they spotted over 20 police officers carrying many handcuffs as well as one photographing from the balcony. Demonstrators circulated through the huge main area doing what they planned. There were many opportunities to engage with people who wanted to know who Bradley is. Many approached just to ask why so many police were in there as well as outside the station. The group maintained the action for an hour and believed that despite being a small group the activity was very worthwhile because of the number of people they were able to speak to.