Update on Art Laffin’s sentencing for KC Witness

 It was a long fruitful day of truth-telling in Kansas City Municipal Court for 27 peacemakers, mostly Catholic Workers, arrested last May 2nd at the site of the new Kansas City nuclear weapons plant. Those arrested were part of a larger nonviolent witness, including 26 others who were also arrested, calling for the transformation of the Bomb parts plant currently being constructed.

When all was said and done the following sentences were rendered:

*16 people given one year probation, one year stay away order from the plant, 10 days suspended jail sentence and 50 hours community service.

*Greg Greg Boertje Obed – Duluth CW  and Eric Garbison – KC CW movingly told the judge why they would prefer jail over the sentence he pronounced and Greg appealed to him to speak out against nuclear weapons. They were both given 7 day jail sentences. Deo Gratias for their life-giving witness!!!

The truth was once again proclaimed loud and clear in a court in the heartland of the U.S. Yet once again we were found guilty. Another deeply held conviction!!! I thank God for everyone who witnessed today in court, especially those who spoke for the first time. Meanwhile, the structure of the new bomb plant has neared completion. And the nonviolent campaign to stop it full construction continues!

With deep gratitude to all who have been praying for those of us in court today as well as for the judge and the prosecutor! We keep our yes on the prize and hold on!
Click here to read more about the action and trial.

Troy Davis Presente! Saturday, Oct. 1st DC Day of Remembrance

Join us this coming Saturday for a DC Day of Remembrance for Troy Davis.

What: A commemoration of Troy Davis and a call for continued action, to coincide with Troy’s funeral

Where: Meet at Tivoli Square (14th street and Park street NW, DC); march to St. Stephens Church (1525 Newton Street NW, DC); followed by a march to the White House, carrying a symbolic coffin.

When: Saturday October 1: Tivoli Square, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.; St. Stephens, 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. followed by march to White House

Who: Activists and citizens opposed to the execution of Troy Davis, opposed to the death penalty and opposed to the racist criminal INjustice system who are grieving, angry and prepared to fight back. Speakers will include, among others, Olympian and activist John Carlos and Dr. Jared Ball.

Why: At 11:08 pm on Wednesday September 21st the State of Georgia, with a complicit Georgia Supreme Court, United States Supreme Court and President of the United States, murdered Troy Anthony Davis. But they could not kill what he stood for. As Troy said: The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I’ve taken my last breath. Georgia is prepared to snuff out the life of an innocent man. In honor of Troy, and in coincidence with his funeral in Savannah, Georgia, we will be having a Day of Remembrance here in Washington, D.C. October 1, however, will not merely be a day of remembrance but also a call for action. This is just the beginning; Troy’s legacy will live on forever.

DEATH TO THE DEATH PENALTY!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=252601918110191&notif_t=event_invite
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dctroydavis
Email: dctroydavis@gmail.com

Ground the Drones! Friday, Oct. 7th @ 10am

The DC-Baltimore area action against the use of drones on the people of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and elsewhere will take place on Friday, October 7, 2011 starting at 10am. The address is 1899 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW near the Foggy Bottom George Washington University Metro Station. We will have a spirited presence outside the government affairs office of the war contractor, General Atomics manufacturer of the drones.

This action will be a part of the United Against The Drone campaign which is being waged throughout the country at that time in addition to the October 6 Occupation of DC at Freedom Plaza. Join us with your own signs, banners, noise-makers, and other expressions of your opposition to war and the use of drones to kill.

Date: October 7, 2011

Time: 10AM

Place: General Atomics located at 1899 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC

Contact: Malachy Kilbride at malachykilbride@yahoo.com or (202) 841-2230

For more information:

http://unitedagainstdrones.wordpress.com/

Join us in DC on October 6th, 2011!

When other nations’ governments go off track, their people do something about it.  In Tunisia and Egypt people have nonviolently claimed power in a way that has inspired Americans in Wisconsin and other states, as well as the people of Spain and the rest of the world.

Washington, D.C., is the weakest point in our democracy, without which state-level reform cannot succeed.  Most Americans want our wars ended, our corporations and billionaires taxed, and our rights expanded rather than curtailed.  We want our money invested in jobs and green energy, not a global military that can’t stop itself.  Our government in Washington goes in the opposite direction, opposing popular will on these major issues, regardless of personality or party.

On October 6th, a Thursday, the Afghanistan War will complete its first decade as the United States goes into its 2012 austerity budget.  Tahrir Square in Cairo Egypt translates as Liberation Square.  We have in Washington, D.C., a square with the similar name: Freedom Plaza.  This square is located between the Capitol and the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue, and built into its surface is a map of downtown Washington on which nonviolent resistance actions can be conveniently planned.

Go to  http://october2011.org/ to learn more!

 

Mike Walli sentenced to 8 months

•  Sentencing for DC Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Mike Walli

Mike Walli appeared in federal court in Knoxville on Monday, September 19, 2011 to face sentencing for his May 2011 conviction on charges of trespass at the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, TN in July 2010. Mike has been in custody, held mostly in Ocilla, GA, since the trial in May.

The procedure began with Judge Bruce Guyton asking Mike if he could hear him. Mike did not answer, but his attorney, Chris Irwin, spoke up to say that Mike had chosen to remain silent before the court, but he (Chris) having just spent an hour in conversation with Mike, was certain Mike could hear and understand.

After formalities—have both sides read the sentencing memorandum?—Chris Irwin began by asking the court for a moment of silence for Jackie Hudson. The judge granted the request, and silence was observed.

Chris then reviewed for the judge a bit of Mike’s history; his service in Vietnam and the effects of that combat experience, his spiritual awakening and conversion to Christianity, and his dedication to a life of service in communities, feeding the hungry, painting windows, mowing grass, assisting with prisoner reintegration, providing hospitality for the homeless, and more. “This,” said Chris, “along with his acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, is Mike’s response to the horrific events he witnessed in war.”

When Chris finished, the judge reviewed Mike’s record; he is in a higher category than any of the defendants to date, and was recommended by the presentencing memorandum for a term of 6-12 months. The judge declared a sentence of 8 months; no supervised release, no fine, and a $25 special fee.

With that, Mike rose in shackles. Blessings were exchanged with the audience, and we watched him leave.

Mike is eager to hear from friends and supporters… but he is currently in transit, so we will post his new address and location soon.

For more information and a complete update of all the Y-12 Resisters, please go to www.orepa.org