The Granny Peace Brigade

I wrote about the Granny Peace Brigade in December when several of their members were arrested in Times Square for protesting against the wars in the Middle East. I had the privilege of seeing some of them again on Valentine's Day when they protested the Toy Industry Association's annual Toy Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here in New York City.

Some of the fine ladies of the Granny Peace Brigade.

I made this brief video of their demonstration against the proliferation of war toys and their call to toy manufacturers to produce more educational, less violent toys:

A little information about the history of the Granny Peace Brigade, an active anti-war group in NYC made up primarily of senior citizens:


In July, 2005, members of the Raging Grannies of Tucson, AZ, tried to enlist in the US military and were arrested for trespassing. Media coverage of that effort inspired New York women to come together to make a similar stand.


This group of women went to the US Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square on Oct. 17, 2005, intent on asking to enlist in the military in place of grandchildren who had been deployed to Iraq. Eighteen were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. They could have accepted an ACD (an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal, effectively allowing them to walk away without any fine or punishment) but, with representation by Norman Siegel, former director of the NY Civil Liberties Union, they decided to go to court to defend their civil right to speak out. They were tried in NY Criminal Court and acquitted.


Today they continue to stand for peace and in opposition to the use of military force to resolve conflicts between nations or hostile forces.