Standing in protest

Jet, August 2, 2004

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Caption: STANDING IN PROTEST: U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) strikes a defiant pose at the doors of the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. Rangel, 74, together with other protesters were calling for an end to the plight of refugees in the African nation awaiting humanitarian relief. After 5 minutes, uniformed Secret Service police arrested Rangel, placed him in handcuffs and took him to a waiting van, while supporters cheered. "When human lives are in jeopardy, there should be outrage," said Rangel, a ranking member of the House Ways & Means Committee. Days later U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) was arrested at the embassy as he stood blocking the doorway shouting: "Power to the people! Power to Sudan!" The congressmen were charged with a misdemeanor and released after posting $50 bond. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed by roving bands of murderous, mostly Arab horsemen, in Sudan's Darfur region in the past year and a half, and an estimated one million driven from their homes. Rangel said peacekeeping troops should be sent to the region to prevent the possible deaths of hundreds of thousands of people from starvation and disease.