Stephen Pearcy (activist)

Stephen Pearcy (born March 4 1960) is an attorney and anti-war activist. He and his wife, Virginia Pearcy, first made national headlines in February 2005 after displaying a stuffed American soldier's uniform hung with a noose on their Sacramento home with the words, “Your Tax Dollars at Work.” [http://cbs5.com/video/?id=[e-mail] cbs5.com - Video Library ] ] [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1024-08.htm War Protest Has Captive Audience ] ] After someone trespassed on the Pearcy’s property and tore down that display, the Pearcys replaced it with a similar display with the words, “Bush Lied, I Died.” That display was also torn down by another vandal. Both vandalisms occurred while TV news crews were present and were captured on film, but the Sacramento District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute the vandals. [ [http://www.da.saccounty.net/pr/050311_effigy.htm Case of Interest: Marty Way Effigy ] ]

The displays were controversial and on one particular evening drew hundreds of people to the Pearcys’ home either to support or criticize them. [ [http://www.sacunion.com/pages/sacramento/articles/2542/ A Private War in Land Park ] ] About two hundred supporters of free speech and peace (including Cindy Sheehan and then-husband, Pat Sheehan) stood on one side of the street to defend the Pearcys’ message, while a roughly equal number of opponents of the Pearcys’ display (including Melanie Morgan and members of Move America Forward) stood on the other side of the street.

Pearcy eventually won a $5,000 judgment against one of the vandals, and he received and out-of-court settlement for $3,500 from another. [ [http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Nov05/Bacher1105.htm (DV) Bacher: Right Wing Hate Vandals Come to Justice in Sacramento! ] ]

In August 2005, Pearcy made national news once again when he exhibited a painting at the California Department of Justice in Sacramento showing a star-spangled map of the United States being flushed down a toilet. The painting included the words, "T'anks to Mr. Bush!" The art exhibit was controversial, and generated a protest and counterprotest event that once again included supporters of the exhibition facing off with opponents of the exhibition. Again, people from the group Move America Forward came to protest Pearcy’s protest art. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163387,00.html FOXNews.com - Flag-in-Toilet 'Art' on Display in California Justice Department - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum ] ] [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/20/BAGV0DQLCS1.DTL&hw=toilet&sn=005&sc=283 SACRAMENTO / Painting of U.S. in toilet raises GOP hackles / Attorney general asked to remove work in state-owned building ] ] [ [http://www.kcra.com/news/4784016/detail.html Controversial Artwork Sparks Opposing Rallies - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento ] ]

In June 2007, Pearcy brought a flag-draped coffin to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in Sacramento. The coffin had a sign that read, “Hillary, Stop Funding This!” The bomb squad was called after Pearcy refused a Secret Service Agent’s request to search the coffin. The coffin was empty, but Clinton was forced to wait at the airport for two and a half hours during the search, and several hundred contributors and potential contributors were forced to wait outside of the event just as long. Many potential contributors left the fundraiser before Clinton finally arrived, and the protest action drew national media interest once again. [ [http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/205907.html Politics - Rough night for decked-out Dems - sacbee.com ] ] [ [http://cbs13.com/video/?id=21233 cbs13.com - Video Library ] ] [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18980149/] [ [http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/06/01/1600/ Coffin Delays Clinton Fundraiser - CommonDreams.org ] ] [ [http://www.ktvu.com/politics/13425757/detail.html Coffin Delays Clinton Fundraiser - Decision 2008 News Story - KTVU San Francisco ] ]

Stephen Pearcy and his wife live primarily in Berkeley, California but often spend time at their other home in Sacramento, California. Between 2005 and 2007, the Pearcys organized over 40 anti-war events in the Sacramento area, most involving several hundred people. Pearcy brought Cindy Sheehan to several of the anti-war events he organized in Sacramento, and the events drew large crowds. [ [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=234393 SN&R > Local Stories > The Cindy Sheehan show > 11.02.06 ] ] [ [http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2005/10/15/17748051.php Anti War Pics from Sacramento 10 15 05 : Indybay ] ] [ [http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/01/15/18347484.php Cindy Sheehan to attend two BIG events Friday in Sacramento : Indybay ] ] [ [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=271454 SN&R > Columns > Bites > The party's over > 01.25.07 ] ] [ [http://sfbay.indymedia.org/newsitems/2007/05/06/18410720.php Sheehan and Others Converge Upon Matsui's Home : Indybay ] ] [ [http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/30/18324976.php Democratic Congressional Candidate’s Wife Asks Sheehan Not To Protest Iraq War : Indybay ] ]

In September 2005, Cindy Sheehan moved into the downstairs portion of the Pearcys’ Berkeley home just after Sheehan returned from her famous trip to Crawford, Texas, where she demonstrated outside of President George W. Bush’s ranch. [ [http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?archiveDate=10-18-05&storyID=22543 Berkeley Daily Planet ] ] [ [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/19/INGEQHOQAA1.DTL&type=printable THE DEFIANT WAR / When it began three years ago, few people could have anticipated that the combat in Iraq would last so long or that the enemy would become a stubborn and resilient insurgency / Cindy Sheehan's year of living famously ] ] Sheehan lived with the Pearcys, rent-free, for just over a year, during which time she travelled extensively to various peace events and wrote two books.

Pearcy has occasionally written articles for "CounterPunch", the Smirking Chimp, the "Sacramento News & Review" and Dissident Voice. [ [http://www.counterpunch.org/pearcy10312006.html Stephen S. Pearcy: Dems Ask Cindy Sheehan Not to Protest Iraq War! ] ] [ [http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/1875 The Interrogation of Julia Wilson: Secret Service Grills 14 Year-Old Artist | The Smirking Chimp ] ] [ [http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=283986 SN&R > Columns > Guest Comment > No excuses > 02.22.07 ] ] [ [http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Oct06/Pearcy18.htm (DV) Pearcy: Bush's S.S. Grills 14-Year-Old Over Funny, Appealing Art ] ]

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