Day 9,125 -- The Longest Anti-War Vigil

By Colman McCarthy

At 1601 Pennsylvania across from the White House, it’s Day 9,125—and counting. Twenty five years ago on June 3, 1981, William Thomas, a self-educated stateless world citizen in his mid-30s, decamped on the sidewalk fronting the north side of the nation’s best known residence. He carried a large-lettered placard saying “Wanted: Wisdom and Honesty.”

Day and night the sign has stayed. So has William Thomas. Blizzards, heat waves, lightning bolts, downpours, several dozen arrests by federal and local police, regular court appearances and convictions, hundreds of news stories labeling him bonkers, verbal assaults by tourists who see him as an eyesore, denunciations by senators, continued surveillance by the Secret Service—none of that, except for three months in prison on a civil disobedience charge, has driven Thomas away.

In August 1981, Concepcion Picciotto arrived. A Spanish-born pacifist, she came with several anti-war signs, a deep reservoir of willpower and a folding chair. She, too, has been there since. In 1984, Thomas married. His wife Ellen became the third partner in protest, creating what has become the nation’s longest running 24/7 anti-war pro-peace vigil. One or more of the three is always on hand. More signs have been added. Two of the current ones, directly facing the north portico of the White House, say: “Ban All Nuclear Weapons Or Have a Nice Doomsday” and “Live By the Bomb, Die By the Bomb.”

On June 3, a few friends and admirers—myself included—gathered to celebrate and honor the ending witness that is known as the Peace Park Anti-Nuclear Vigil.