Peter Perry was born in Washington, DC on October 31, 1969. He is a peace and social justice activist who has been affiliated with the

National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance Founded in 2002, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR) is a network of individuals and organizations in the United States committed to ending the war in Iraq, using the nonviolent practices and disciplines of Mahatma Gandhi and ...

and the

Washington Peace Center The Washington Peace Center was a nonprofit organization founded and located in Washington, D.C., focusing on peace and social justice. It officially closed ceased operating in 2020 after. The organization sought to provide education, support, a ...

. Perry helped organize one of the protests on the second inauguration of President George W. Bush on January 20, 2005 in Washington DC. On February 9, 2005 Perry and activists David Barrows and

Midge Potts Midgelle Regina Potts, known as Midge Potts, is a transgender peace activist and United States Navy, Navy veteran who ran as a Progressive Party (Green Party of the United States, Green Party) candidate in the United States Senate election in Mis ...

protested US torture and the nomination and confirmation hearings of Alberto Gonzalez for United States Attorney General. The demonstration occurred on the steps of The United States Supreme Court. The three were subsequently convicted in DC Superior Court June 30, 2005 for violating Title 40 sec. 6135 of US Code. However, they appealed to DC Superior Court and on January 23, 2007 in that appeal, the Czech Ambassador to The United Nations, Martin Palous, appeared on their behalf. Perry continued protesting the Iraq War, and as a resident of Maryland, at that time, he joined other peace activists in early 2007 "occupying" the Capitol Hill office of Senator Barbara Mikulski. By 2008 Perry had expanded his activism with the

to include addressing the apparent rise in anti-gay violence in Washington DC. Due to several violent anti-gay attacks Perry organized with other communities in Washington DC. Perry was a lead organizer of one of the first anti-war protests at the White House during President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's administration in October 2009. This action resulted in more than 60 peaceful protesters arrested on the White House sidewalk. On May 21, 2009 Perry, Steve Mihalis,

Eve Tetaz Eve Leona Tetaz ( Birnbaum; September 6, 1931 – June 7, 2023) was an American public school teacher and peace and justice activist from Washington, D.C. She was arrested 11 times in 2007 for nonviolent civil resistance during protests against th ...

, and Ellen Barfield protested the funding of the spreading war and the occupation of Afghanistan. They interrupted Admiral

Michael Mullen Michael Glenn Mullen (born October 4, 1946) is a retired United States Navy Admiral (United States), admiral, who served as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2007, to September 30, 2011. Mullen previously served as ...

, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as he spoke to US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair, US Senator

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

. The committee was discussing President

's counter-terrorism strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Perry stood up and quoted Senator Kerry's own words from Kerry's antiwar protests in which he said "“How do you ask someone to be the last American soldier to die for a mistake?” As a result of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee protest, Perry and Barfield were sentenced by Judge Lynn Liebovitz in December 2009 after being convicted by a jury. Barfield was sentenced to 25 days in jail, and Perry received a four-day sentence. They were also given lengthy stay-away orders from Capitol Hill. Tetaz was also sentenced to 25 days in jail on January 25, 2010. Perry has recently taken a much less visible role in activism, although he donates to various small progressive organizations.

Other activities

Perry was the coordinator of the

in 2007. In 2011 Perry was an organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network.WikiLeaks suspect Manning will be transferred from Quantico to Fort Leavenwort

The Washington Post, April 19, 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Pete American anti-war activists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)