Washington, D.C. ? Activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Wednesday as she led about 50 protesters to a White House gate to deliver anti-war petitions she said were signed by 80,000 Americans.

The Berkeley, Calif., woman, whose son was killed in Iraq more than two years ago, was arrested along with three other women on the sidewalk outside the White House gate, said Lt. Scott Fear, a U.S. Park Police spokesman. They were charged with interfering with a government function after they blocked the gate and ignored orders to move, he said.

Before she was arrested, she joined the protesters in hailing the outcome of Tuesday’s elections and chanting “Stop the War” outside the gate.

“It was taking too long for them to decide whether to accept them or not, so we just delivered them,” said Sheehan, who waited about 15 minutes with other protesters before tossing the petitions over the fence.