Eve Tataz is currently serving a 25-day sentence in the Washington, D.C., jail for her May '09 anti-war action at a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing on the Afghan war/occupation. Sen. John Kerry chaired the hearing and Admiral Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was one of those testifying.
Eve threw dollar bills stained with her own blood into the aisle of the hearing room (not AT anyone, as was later assumed by the prosecutor and judge) and cried out to stop spending blood money. One of the participants in the action, Pete Perry, recited to Sen. Kerry his own words from the Viet Nam era about telling the last soldier he is dying for a lie, which I am sure was well received by the senator. Nothing like having your own words of truth to come back, in a very public way, haunt you.
Eve and company were whisked out of the hearing room in seconds. To be fair, Sen. Kerry had only said to remove, not arrest, them but the police chose to arrest.
Eve, along with three others, were tried and found guilty. Due to health concerns, the presiding judge, Lynn Liebovitz, wanted a report from Eve's physician before she sentenced her, delaying the sentencing until Jan. 25 of this year.
One of my favorite subversives, Eve is who I want to be when I grow up. A place in my mythical Peace Museum Hall of Fame is a definite. In her late 70s early 80s, at first glance she is the embodiment of the stereotype of the “little old lady” (she is little). She has glaucoma and a blood disorder, both of which require daily maintenance. Yet she braves the D.C. justice system on almost a monthly basis to speak out against war and injustice.
They all know her at Central Cell Block and in the D.C. Superior Court holding cells. I've been arrested with Eve at least four times and it has been evident to me that they respect and admire her, police, jail guards and U.S. Marshals alike.
She was in jail with me on Jan. 21 for the recent Witness Against Torture Capitol action – we were afraid that she was going to be held over the weekend until her Monday morning hearing. Her lawyer did a great job of convincing the judge (not Liebovitz) not to.
I need to give credit to the D.C. Metropolitan Police – they did offer her a “cite and release” at the initial arrest. She turned it down, much to the horror of the rest of us. We tried to convince her to take it as a gift from the holy spirit. Her lawyer, Jack Barringer, would have been livid if he had known.
We're all concerned for her health and safety. The Central Cell Block and the court holding cells are rough enough on your body and mind during an overnight for an arraignment, let alone for an extended stay. The jail is dirty, cold and the food is just slightly this side of palatable. Some of your fellow inmates do not ascribe to the notion of non-violence and do not have your best interests at heart.
Eve Tataz's church, The Church of the Savior, has been very supportive of their sister's witness. They have also devised a real creative way to address the problems of the D.C. womens' jail, which is run by a private for-profit company. The parishioners are buying stock and as shareholders have to by law be invited to the annual meeting. They also have the right to put issues on the agenda to be discussed and addressed.
I love it! They are truly a bunch of blessed subversives – and creative too!
