C.A.G.E. (Citizens Against Global Exploitation) is proud to announce that this Monday, September 9th, 16 people did not accept "the way things just are."

There was a sit-in at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on West Main St, for a Living Wage of at least $8.65/hr (including health care). Participants walked into the lobby of the hotel, and then held up signs demanding a living wage, and chanted loudly.

Police came and told the protesters to leave. At that point all left except 3 persons who refused to leave until Marriott hotel owner Tim Stiffler (phone 757-428-1426) met with living wage advocates, and paid his employees enough to live without the sufferings of poverty.

Handcuffed, Jennifer Conner, Ian Burke, and Andrew Holden presented the manger of the Marriott Hotel with a letter to owner Tim Stiffler.

The letter mentioned Stiffler's refusal to meet living wage advocates for over 93 weeks, and ended with the declaration:

"Above all else, what we want is a community in which the joy of the many is imprisoned for the luxury of a few"

We are proud that these people participated in this civil disobedience, which is part of long tradition of people willing to put themselves at risk to make the world more equitable and democratic.

They are as follows:

John Bugbee
Ian Burke
Jennifer Conner
Chris Doe
spot etal
Susan Freiman
Lamar Glover
Maggie T.O.
Nicholas Graber-Grace
Andrew Holden
Guy Lopez
Kate Neuhausen
Risa Manzuk
Shiloh T.O.
Vicky Supraner
Alexis Ziegler

In Joy and Justice,

Andrew Holden, CAGE (electronic mail, September 9, 2002)