Dozens Arrested As War Protests Move Through DC

WASHINGTON - Anti-war protesters paraded in the streets of downtown D.C., causing traffic tie-ups for many commuters Wednesday afternoon.

Groups of demonstrators marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war blocked intersections along K Street between 13th and 17th Streets in Northwest.

WTOP's Michelle Basch reports at least 100 people used their bodies and placards to block the streets around McPherson Square.

People started protesting at 7:30 a.m., and are planning an evening march from the National Mall to the Democratic National Committee Headquarters on South Capitol Street.

Many of the protesters are wearing white masks and black clothing to represent the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

Earlier Wednesday, D.C. Police used brute force to remove some of the protesters off of the streets and onto the curb.

The D.C. Department of Transportation issued delays and detours throughout and even after the evening rush hour.

Authorities are stringing yellow police tape around the area to prevent some people from walking onto the streets. Police are also protecting a military recruiting center downtown.

Earlier Wednesday, police arrested more than 30 protesters outside the Internal Revenue Service building for crossing a barricade and blocking the building's entrance.

D.C. Police report demonstrators throwing items at officers, but there are no serious injuries.

At 12th Street and Constitution Avenue, one frustrated driver got out of his small, red, four-door car and physically moved a bicycle that a protester had put in the road, WTOP's Kristi King reported. The driver then waved traffic on until police arrived.

Police also stopped protesters who tried to connect their bicycles together with a chain.

Other anti-war protests and vigils were held throughout the day.

In Syracuse, N.Y., police arrested 20 protesters who blocked traffic by creating a mock Baghdad street scene. One person dressed in camouflage lay on the ground. Another was covered in a white sheet with red markings and a woman leaned over as if grieving. They were from a group of more than 100 demonstrators who marched downtown in a steady rain over the lunch hour.

On the West Coast, police arrested a handful of protesters outside of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, police Sgt. Steve Manina said. Black balloons were tied to trees along San Francisco's main downtown thoroughfare, and protesters at a table offered coffee, oranges and "unhappy birthday cake" to passers-by.

Click here for a schedule of the protests, as listed on the Web site, 5 Years Too Many.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)