39. Dan’s Public Opinion Campaign Begins
On May Day, the first protesters, a Quaker couple in their 70s, arrived at noon at the U.S. Attorney’s office. They carried handmade signs that read, “Claudia Connors is a Victim of the War on Terror” and “Arrest Osama bin Laden, not Emad Khadonry.” The couple stood silently outside the door while lawyers dressed in conservative suits left for their lunch hours, taking a break from the tedious job of prosecuting criminals.
Dan sat down on the steps across from the entrance to the office, eating the black bean burrito he purchased from the Burrito Man who worked the corner of K and 15th Streets in a trailer converted into a one-person kitchen. After finishing his burrito, Dan walked over to them and thanked them for coming then quickly left to avoid being associated with the protesters.
The next day, he repeated the lunchtime scenario, this time ordering a black and tan burrito with guacamole, a little splurge that he allowed himself once a week. As expected, a group from the Catholic Worker’s House had shown up carrying signs. One man was very tall and thin with a long beard and ponytail. Dan recognized him from other demonstrations. Once again, Dan thanked them and left.
On the third day, a group from the Committee against Political Repression arrived. As Dan approached, he saw a reporter from the Post talking to a woman he recognized. He was glad the reporter had come on that particular day, as the woman she was talking with was extremely articulate. “We’re here because we oppose the prosecution of Claudia Connors,” she said to the reporter.
“But she broke the law. Shouldn’t she be punished?” the reporter asked.
“It’s not clear that she violated any law. Her so-called ‘crime’ was mailing a package for her client and making a phone call for her client’s wife. These are not acts of terrorism.”
The reporter interrupted. “But she could have been sending information to terrorists. She’s a lawyer, shouldn’t she know better?”
“But there’s no proof that the letters contained any secret communications. In the name of fighting an enemy, the government passes laws making it a crime to do innocent things. Our organization was founded during World War II to protest the internment of Japanese Americans. That was another horrible example of overreaching. Our government acted legally when it interned Japanese Americans, but what it did was morally wrong. It’s the same situation here. What is happening to Claudia Connors may be legal, but it’s wrong.”
Dan was cheering to himself. This was exactly the message he wanted to get out to the press.
“Of course, what’s happening to Claudia is not an isolated act. We represent dozens of people, mostly Arab Americans, who have been detained without any charge. Some have been held for hours, some for days, without being permitted to contact their families or an attorney. Do you understand the kind of terror this creates in people? There are people in this country who live in fear, not of another September 11 attack, but of what their own government may do to them or their loved ones.”
The woman paused for a moment and her companion, a younger woman who Dan didn’t know, piped in, “And the poor woman is pregnant. They’re causing her so much stress I’m surprised she hasn’t miscarried.”
Dan grimaced. Claudia was not the kind of woman that liked people knowing her business. Of course anyone who had seen Claudia recently could probably figure out that she was pregnant, but Claudia would not want it advertised to the entire D.C. Metro area.
“She’s pregnant?” the reporter asked. The young woman looked at Dan for confirmation. Dan approached. “She is, but I’m not sure that’s really newsworthy, is it?” He didn’t want to ask the reporter not to report the fact of Claudia’s pregnancy figuring that would certainly encourage her to do so.
“It’s certainly an interesting fact,” the reporter said. “I suppose it’s going to come out sooner or later. People will notice that she’s pregnant.”
“Yes,” Dan said. “But Claudia would hate the idea that someone felt sorry for her because she was pregnant. It distracts from the real issue, what the government is doing to her.”
“I’m sorry,” the young woman said. “I thought everybody knew.”
“Do you have a phone number for her?” the reporter asked. “I want to confirm this information.”
Dan jumped in, “She doesn’t know about this protest.”
“She doesn’t know?” the reporter asked, surprised. “I thought this was part of her defense strategy.
“No,” Dan said, “We’re concerned Washingtonians who believe our government has better things to do than harass attorneys who are trying to defend their clients.”
The reporter took down everything Dan said, including Claudia’s phone number, while Dan watched, grinning.