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Oregon mother against Guard deployment arrested

MaryAnne Turner
The Commuter

Thursday, November 20, 2008

On Saturday, Nov. 15, shortly after midnight, Michele Darr was arrested on the state capitol building’s steps. Darr, a mother of four small children, fasted on the steps of the capitol building for two weeks in hopes that by staying there she would bring attention to a proposed resolution to de-federalize the Oregon National Guard, also to the Oregon National Guard deployment scheduled for April, said to be the biggest call up for deployment since WWII. This de-federalization would keep the Oregon National Guard soldiers in Oregon.

Darr was issued a citation for criminal trespass on Thursday, Nov. 13, and then told that she would be arrested if she stayed. They then asked her what she planned to do, and her response was, “We are being told that our soldiers overseas are fighting for our freedoms-and this is my freedom.”

Darr was arrested and brought to the Marion County Police Department where she was booked and released, while one officer stayed to make sure the rest of Camp Homebound was disassembled.

It was reported that Darr and the rest of Camp Homebound were planning to return to the capitol early Saturday morning. Darr said, “This is a public forum. This is supposed to be our building. This is where we have access to our legislators and our governor who can make this change. I can’t give up now.”

You can find more information at http://www.corvalliscodepink.org.

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