The Nuclear Resister

from Art Laffin, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker

Dear Friends,

From 7 – 8 a.m. on December 28, ten peacemakers witnessed at the Pentagon to commemorate the Feast of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. The witness was organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in conjunction with the Little Flower Catholic Worker and Norfolk Catholic Worker.

We act in prayerful solidarity with many sisters and brothers today in the U.S. and elsewhere who are commemorating this special feast day by engaging in acts of public witness in resistance to a warmaking empire.  

Photo by Felton Davis

On November 30, activists affixed a 10-foot-long sticker to the windows of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations which read, “U.S. sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” This strong message to the U.S. Mission was delivered by members of the Atlantic Life Community, Catholic Workers, New York City War Resisters League and Nukewatch.  

The nuclear abolition activists, holding signs and banners and singing protest songs, blocked all three entrance doors to the U.S. Mission. Soon after the blockade was in place, the Mission played a taped message instructing employees to “shelter in place”.

After two hours, eighteen blockaders were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. They were processed within a couple of hours and released with a December 20 court date.

On October 19, three climate protesters were arrested at Beale Air Force Base in California after crossing the demarcation line to demand climate justice. They held signs reading, “Our War Against Nature Must End” and “War is Incompatible with Life on Earth”. Among the three detained were two youth protesters who attempted to deliver a letter to base commander Geoffrey Church demanding the shut down of the base. These same two youth protesters, prior to crossing the demarcation line, also read a statement decrying the military’s involvement in the climate crisis. The video of the statement and subsequent arrest is here.

CODEPINK photo

from CODEPINK

by Danaka Katovich, CODEPINK National Co-Director

On October 4, CODEPINK walked the halls of Congress with over 60 people who came from all over the world to call for negotiations, not escalation in Ukraine following an anti-war rally on the evening of October 3 with Dr. Cornel West as the keynote speaker. The purpose of the last two days has been to point out the hypocrisy of progressives who fund endless wars, even progressive champion: Bernie Sanders.

Our action in the morning began with a sit-in in Senator Bernie Sanders’ office that resulted in the arrest of 11 of us — including a peace movement elder named Joan, who is 89-years-old.