By
The Associated Press
CRAWFORD, Texas - In a made-for-TV demonstration, three Greenpeace activists scaled a water tower near President Bush's ranch Friday to protest his environmental policies. All were arrested.
The two women and one man hung a 30-foot-tall yellow banner off the water tower. It read, "Bush the Toxic Texan - Don't Mess with Earth."
The tower is in Crawford, the tiny town a few miles from Bush's ranch. The tower is also across the street from a school where the news media covering Bush work when the president travels to his ranch.
With little other news here, dozens of reporters and photographers lined the street to capture the protest. As sheriff's deputies blocked the street to traffic, Greenpeace campaigns director Andrea Durbin distributed press kits to reporters. The literature attacked Bush's proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and his opposition to an international global-warming treaty.
"It's a nice focal point, don't you think?" Durbin said, looking up at the tower.
Greenpeace identified the protesters as Rani Riber, 24, and Melissa Riber, 28, of Washington, and Kelly Osborn, 31, of Flower Mound, Texas.
Mayor Robert Campbell and sheriff's deputies urged the demonstrators to come down, but they refused.
"I'm not happy at all, because it's causing a disturbance," said Campbell, who was getting ready to mow his lawn when he learned of the protest.
With the TV cameras rolling, Police Chief Donny Tidmore informed the protesters by bullhorn that they were trespassing on Crawford property, and would be arrested.
Osborn sought to negotiate by cell phone, but Tidmore declined.
"We're going to start getting down, yes, sir," Osborn then told the chief. About two hours after they ascended the tower, the three began to dismantle their banner and come down, and they were arrested when they reached the ground.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer declined to comment on the protest other than to say, "It's a free country."
Bush spent Friday at the ranch with family members, including his wife, daughter Jenna and brother Marvin.
