Fake Blood, Real Arrests in Holy Name Cathedral Easter Service Disruption
WBBM Reporting
CHICAGO -- A judge set bond at $25,000 to $30,000 today for six anti-war protestors following an Easter service disruption at Holy Name Cathedral in the Loop Sunday morning.
Three men and three women were arrested at 735 N. State St. at the 11:40 a.m. service.
Cardinal Francis George was leading services at the Parish Center because of construction at the main Cathedral. The protestors discharged packets of fake blood. Some of it splattered parishioners.
Bond was set at $35,000 for Donte D. Smith, 21 and $25,000 for the five others including: Ephran Ramirez, Jr., 22, and Ryane J. Ziemba, 25, Mercedes Phinaih, 18, Regan Maher, 25, and Angela Haban, 20. Smith has served time in a federal prison in Texas for trespassing on a Native American reservation.
All six protestors were charged with two counts of felony criminal damage to property and two counts of simple battery.
As Cardinal George began his homily, the protesters stood up to stage what they called a Die-In.
The group denounced the Cardinal for meeting this past January with President Bush, who they label a war criminal.
Ushers rushed in to remove the protestors along with some Chicago police officers who were stationed in the lobby to help with traffic control. The demonstrators also laid down – passive resistance -- to make it more difficult for them to be removed.
The anti-war group “Catholic Schoolgirls Against The War” has claimed responsibility for the protest. They took part in the Wednesday Loop protest on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war.
The Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice lists them as members and describes the group this way: "Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War is a humorous, political street threatre group composed of college students and young adults. The group was formed in October of 2006 and meets twice per month."
After the brief interruption, the Cardinal took a moment to talk about the "peace" that God gives the faithful. He said he was grateful to those who interrupted his homily so that he could deliver that message.
The group sat through the Mass until Cardinal George reached the homily.
A few seconds into the main holiday message, the protestors rose from their seats, turned to address the thousands of parishioners in the auditorium and talked about the continuing death of both Iraqis and Americans in Iraq, according to a release from HammerHard.
Hamerhard Mediaworks is also a ICPJ member,
listed this way: "HammerHard Mediaworks is a worker-run non-profit collective of media professionals and activists committed to media advocacy, skills-sharing and movement-building in partnership with grassroots progressive groups."
WBBM NewsRadio 780's Mary-Frances Bragiel Michele Fiore, CBS2 and The Sun-Times News Group wire contributed to this report.
Contents of this site are Copyright 2008 by WBBM. CBS 2 contributed to this report.
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