Summary: Activist Guido Reichstadter has occupied the summit of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., since May 1, 2026, enduring the elements and height to demand an end to the war in Iran and a ban on advanced AI.
In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a 24-day nonviolent march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt. Along the journey, he and his followers were harassed, beaten, and some were even killed. But, still, nothing deterred him; he broke the 1882 Salt Act and, eventually, even the British.
In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led his famous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. He knew that waiting for him and his congregation were police with batons, water cannons, and snarling dogs. Yet still they marched, and the violence on that “Bloody Sunday” paved the way for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.*
They led these protests not because of their chance for glory, but rather because in the face of evil, tough choices need to be made. Which is what led Iran war protestor, Guido Reichstadter, to climb up to the top of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which spans the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C.
Reichstadter isn’t some weirdo or wackadoo. He’s 45, the father of two, and has master's degrees in both math and physics. He is just a man who’s sick of watching the world burn and decided to take action. But, most importantly, he is just like you and all of us.
In his own words:
“I woke up on February 28th and I found out that hundreds of school children had been blown apart. I think that there are many millions of Americans who reject the war in principle, but whose actions have not yet been sufficient to bring it to an end.”
Reichstadter climbed the 51-meter structure with nothing but food, water, and a large black banner to symbolize his anger and frustration. Since that time, he’s experienced cold nights, rain, and even a fireworks show coming from the Nationals Stadium.
“It’s our power and it’s our responsibility to stop this war.”
If you want to learn about other (perhaps safer) ways for you to take action against corrupt and abusive uses of power, discover what moves you can make today at UnruledMasses.org.
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