On Oct. 17 a group of elderly women calling themselves the "Granny Peace Brigade" was arrested outside New York's Times Square military recruitment station while protesting the war in Iraq. Yesterday, when the 17 women finally came before a judge, their attorney, Norman Siegel, requested that the court dismiss all charges against them.
"The defendants engaged in a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration in full cooperation and with the full knowledge of the police," Siegel reportedly argued. "They sat down on the ground to publicly express their opposition to the war in Iraq. There is no claim of resisting arrest, acting in a disrespectful manner or doing anything that placed NYPD personnel, the public or themselves in any danger whatsoever."
"The war in Iraq is breaking my heart," defendant Eva-Lee Baird, a retired Manhattan art teacher, told the Associated Press. "I'm willing to inconvenience myself a little bit to express that."
Granny supporters packed the Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday and applauded the women, some of whom needed to use canes and walkers to come before the judge.
The court's decision is expected March 2.
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