Resistance for a Nuclear Free Future – Report on the July 3-5, 2010 Gathering and Action

Report from the Nuclear Resister, Nukewatch, and the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance

The weekend was bookended by a lot of hugging — starting Friday evening in front of the registration table as old friends reunited, and ending Monday afternoon outside the Clinton, Tennessee jail as prisoners were released into the hot July sun to await trial. In between, it was a powerful celebration of nonviolent resistance marking the thirtieth anniversaries of Nukewatch, the Nuclear Resister, and the first Plowshares disarmament action.

There was music, there was talking, there were puppets and Fourth-of-July burgers and watermelon. And on Monday morning, July 5, a new Declaration of Independence was delivered at the gates of the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex in Oak Ridge, after which thirteen people crossed the property line and twenty-three more stretched a long banner across the road to block the entrance to the bomb plant.

They were arrested — the thirteen on federal trespass charges and twenty-three on state charges for obstructing a roadway. The penalty for the federal offense can be as much as $100,000 and a year in prison; for the state charges, $50 and 30 days in jail.

The charges vary and not all risked arrest, but the depth of commitment and the passion for the future was uniform — hundreds of peace cranes were tied on the barbed wire fence expressing the deep desire for a world free of nuclear weapons.

The Declaration of Independence said:
“Under principles of democracy we exercise the right of every citizen of this republic and this planet to peacefully resist the nuclear threat; attacking as it does every core concept of human rights.
“We act to exercise our basic rights to life and freedom from violence and we exercise our duty to protect children and future generations.
“We act to ensure that our government fulfills its promise and responsibilities to unequivocally pursue and achieve nuclear disarmament in good faith.
“We call on this government to end the use of our tax dollars to wage permanent war and demand clean up all chemical and radioactive contamination.”

Most of those arrested on state charges – Marcus Atkinson, Jon Blickenstaff, Ed Bloomer, Stephen Clemens, Barbara Corcoran, Frank Cordaro, Susan Crane, Paul Fesefelt, Nancy Gowen, Clare Grady, Joe Gump, Judith Hallock, Martha Hennessy, Steve Jacobs, Elizabeth McAlister, Joan Noyes, Tom Palumbo, Pepperwolf, John Schuchardt, and Janice Sevré-Duszynska – were released without bail, with court dates scheduled in early July. Three women who remained in jail – Alice Baker, Beth Brockman, and Billie Hickey – were arraigned Thursday afternoon, July 8 in Anderson County Court. Alice Baker and Billie Hickey were sentenced to five days in jail plus a $50 fine and court costs, and a jail fee of $50 per day. Beth Brockman was sentenced to ten days in jail, plus the same fine, court and jail costs.

Crossing over a disused railroad gate and crawling through barbed wire, thirteen resisters moved onto the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex and were jailed over night. Steve Baggarly, Bill Bichsel, David Corcoran, Dennis DuVall, Carol Gilbert, Jean Gump, Jackie Hudson, Mary Dennis Lentsch, Bradford Lyttle, Ardeth Platte, Beth Rosdatter, Bonnie Urfer and Michael Walli appeared before Judge Bruce Guyton in U.S. District Court in Knoxville the following afternoon for a detention hearing. All were released without bond on their own recognizance, pending trial.

The weekend gathering, held on the campus of Maryville College in nearby Maryville, Tennessee, was attended by more than 200 anti-nuclear activists from across the United States to advance the role of nonviolent direct action and civil resistance in the movement for a nuclear-free future.

Saturday morning began with plenary presentations summarizing the status of nuclear power (with Glenn Carroll from Nuclear Watch South/NoNewNukes.org and Mary Olson of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service), nuclear weapons (with Jay Coghlan of Nuclear Watch of New Mexico), and the Y12 Nuclear Weapons Complex (with Ralph Hutchison of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance).

It was followed by a roundtable report from more than a dozen nonviolent anti-nuclear action campaigns around the country. The morning presentations brought everyone up to speed on the state of the movement and the challenges facing it.

Afternoon workshop sessions included in-depth presentations on new nuclear bomb plants, the nuclear power relapse, nuclear waste issues nationally and in Tennessee, and more. Workshops focused on issues for resisters also included presentations on war tax resistance, nonviolent blockading, the Plowshares movement, songs to sing at protests and in jail, representing yourself in court, and doing time in prison.

The Saturday evening celebration was kicked off by event organizers Ralph Hutchison, Bonnie Urfer, John LaForge and Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa, who performed an anti-nuclear rendition of Malvina Reynolds’ “It Isn’t Nice.”

Former anti-nuclear prisoner of conscience and Voices for Creative Nonviolence cofounder Kathy Kelly delivered a keynote address.

Singing was led by song pioneers of the civil rights movement, Guy and Candie Carawan of the Highlander Center, with their son Evan joining in on mandolin. A tribute to the Plowshares Eight began with Steve Jacobs singing “The Hammer Has to Fall”, a song about the disarmament action.

The four members present – Fr. Carl Kabat, Molly Rush, John Schuchardt and Sr. Anne Montgomery – each spoke, as did Elizabeth McAlister, Plowshares activist and wife of the late Plowshares Eight member Philip Berrigan.

Sunday events included nonviolence training and preparation for Monday’s action, and presentations on noncooperation in court and in custody (Fr. Steve Kelly), and international law regarding nuclear weapons and a citizen’s duty to resist (attorneys Kary Love and Anabel Dwyer).

Participants joined members of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, who hosted the gathering, for their weekly Sunday afternoon vigil at Y12. Music was provided by a local acoustic trio, The Emancipators.

Back at the college, the July 4th cookout was followed by a theatrical performance. Local cultural workers enlisted the help of both children and adults at the gathering to perform Bombs Away!, a colorful, lively production with costumes, music and large puppets.

Among those present for the weekend events was 94-year-old Gordon Maham, who helped build the Y12 plant for the Manhattan Project. Maham quit when he heard about Hiroshima and his role in building the bomb. He then lost his war-industry draft exemption and served three years in federal prison as a post-war conscientious objector.

Click here for selected links to more reports, photos and videos from the gathering.

Other links from the gathering:

Statement from the International Law Workshop (by Anabel Dwyer, J.D. and Kary Love, J.D.)

Declaration of Independence (statement carried into Y-12 by 13 people charged with federal trespass)

Script of skit (by Ralph Hutchison, performed at Y12, Oak Ridge vigil on July 5)

all that bombs can do is kill (poem written by Ralph Hutchison, read by Shelley Wascom at Y12, Oak Ridge vigil on July 5)

It Isn’t Nice (by Malvina Reynolds, lyrics rewritten by Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa, performed by Ralph Hutchison, Bonnie Urfer, John LaForge, Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa at celebration on July 3, Maryville College)

Some (poem written for the Plowshares Eight by Fr. Dan Berrigan, SJ, read by Allison McGillivray at celebration on July 3, Maryville College)

Statement for gathering sent by Plowshares Eight member Dean Hammer (read by Sam Yergler at celebration on July 3, Maryville College)

Participants in July 3 networking roundtable

Workshops offered on July 3

For more information, contact:

Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa
The Nuclear Resister
(520)323-8697
Email: nukeresister@igc.org
Website: nukeresister.org/

Bonnie Urfer and John LaForge
Nukewatch
(715)472-4185
Email: nukewatch1@lakeland.ws
Website: nukewatch.com

Ralph Hutchison
Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance
Email: orep@earthlink.net
Website: www.stopthebombs.org