IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace blockade all White House entrances
On the 16th of October, IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace marched on the White House with an estimated 1,000 protesters or more. On reaching the White House, they divided into multiple units. Each unit took on a separate White House entrance. At one point 13 simultanious blockades were reported. There are about 5 vehicle exits and all were blocked.
Demands of the protest were an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and an end to the siege.
At around 4:30 PM, police warnings to remove blockades or face arrest were dealt with at one blockade by exiting the driveway into the White House compound, only to redeploy into a street blockade. A police line seeking to defeat closing this "inverse kettle" of White House traffic was defeated by a running charge, and an effective blockade re-established.
At 5:30PM the siege was lifted-so that protesters could march on and disrupt with noise a 6PM White House press conference. While the drummers were setting up on the West side of Lafayette Park, other protesters noticed that Penn Ave had been blocked off by cops after the protest blockades were lifted. Possibly as a distraction to help the drummers set up, possibly to force arrests that the press pays attention to, they hurdled the fences and several got across. This in spite of considerable police roughness and some police violence.
At 7PM a day that began at Noon was finally over-until next time. Various corporate news media have reported between 30 and 50 arrests
Image shot from moving bike while riding to all blockades
