Peace Camp (Washington, D.C.)

USA / District of Columbia / Washington / Washington, D.C.
Perhaps the longest continuously-staffed protest in Washington DC, here Ms Concepcion "Conchita" Picciotto and occasional helpers have conducted an ongoing peace demonstration since 1981 in view of the White House.

Ms Picciotto, usually sitting under a tarp on the sidewalk amid large hand-lettered signs, has even become a feature on some tour guides' presentations. Some tourists pose for photographs with her. She has been known to give the gift of "peace rocks" to some ---stones painted with peace messages in several languages. Sometimes Buddhist monks and others join Ms Picciotto's enterprise.

The White House Anti-Nuclear Vigil had been headquartered upon the White House fence until the federal protective forces shooed it across the street to the edge of Lafayette Park. Over the years, occasional van-sized signage has been hauled away by the authorities, but door-sized placards have been tolerated.

Slogans on the signs have included:

LIVE BY THE BOMB; DIE BY THE BOMB.

GOD BLESS JELLY BEANS AND THE H-BOMB.

DON'T BE A LEMMING; SAVE YOURSELF; RENOUNCE GENOCIDAL WEAPONS.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC, IT IS EASIER THAN GETTING A JOB.

STAY THE COURSE AND END UP LIKE THIS (radiation victim photos).

READ MY LIPS; NO NEW WARS.

PLEASE DEPORT US!

The signs also mention the protest's status as the 24-hour, 7-day-a-week campaign underway since 1981.

According to local lore, when she obtained her permit from the U.S. Park Service to hold a protest, the USPS mistakenly left the space for "expiration date" blank, and she got a permit that won't expire until her protest is over. (When she needs to leave, volunteers take her place.) Local lore also credits her with prompting "The Conchita Clause" ---updates to the federal regulations (36 CFR Part 50: National Capital Parks Regulations; Camping) passed in 1982 in part to prevent more such protest encampments at the national landmark sites.

See also:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_camp
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concepción_Picciotto
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°53'56"N   77°2'11"W

Comments

  • In the ongoing effort to keep possible-vandalism away from certain US sites (the White House area being one of them), removed on 21 Jan 2011 from the description a line added by user Ironclad1: "As one would expect, the presence of so many unwashed hippies makes the entire area smell like a trash day in August."
This article was last modified 6 months ago