From The Private Bradley Manning Support Network-Help us rent billboards for Bradley in Kansas City

Help us rent billboards for Bradley in Kansas City
June 17, 2011, by the Bradley Manning Support Network.

View the billboards, donate to make it happen, and help choose the design at:
http://epicstep.com/campaign/280/support-bradley

Private First Class Bradley Manning will soon have his own billboards in the Kansas City area, a short distance from where he is held in pre-trial confinement at Fort Leavenworth. PFC Manning is accused of releasing classified government information to WikiLeaks and to the public. His supporters are launching a campaign to rent two billboards, at a total cost of $7,000, to bolster regional support for the accused whistle-blower.

This campaign begins on the heels of a successful effort to rent high-profile ad space in the Washington DC metro area. That effort, funded by 326 supporters, will result in a billboard that will coincide with Bradley Manning’s pre-trial hearing. That hearing date is expected to be announced soon, and is expected to be held at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

“Americans deserve to know the truth. We want to make sure the truth is visible during Bradley’s pre-trial hearing,” explained Bradley Manning Support Network organizer Jeff Paterson. “The information Bradley Manning is accused of releasing should have been in the public domain. Whoever revealed it is an American hero.”

The revelations include the videotaped massacre of Reuters journalists. WikiLeaks was the recipient of the classified information.

Supporters who donate to fund the billboard can cast votes for three different designs. One option features a picture of PFC Manning and reads, “Bradley Manning | Whistle-Blowers Protect Democracy.” Another option reads like a dictionary definition: “Whis•tle-Blow•er: noun. a person who tells the people what the government doesn’t want us to know. See also hero, patriot, Bradley Manning.”

The three designs can be viewed at: http://epicstep.com/campaign/239/support-bradley

PFC Manning will be flown to Washington DC for all military court proceedings. The billboard will be up for at least 30 days. If successful, supporters anticipate also purchasing DC Metro and bus ads for June and July.

Private First Class Bradley E. Manning, 23-years-old, was arrested in Iraq one year ago on May 26, 2010. He still awaits his first public court hearing, now expected to begin in June. Over 4,300 individuals have contributed $333,000 towards PFC Manning’s legal fees and related public education efforts. The Bradley Manning Support Network is dedicated to securing due process and a public trial for PFC Manning — and to eventually winning his freedom.

“Never before has a person been charged with ‘aiding the enemy through indirect means’ by making information public,” noted Emma Cape of Courage to Resist. “The outcome of Bradley’s trial will set precedent for the future of whistle-blowing and government transparency.”