Why I Acted
by Jessica Reznicek
Hammer of Justice statement from the Sarpy County Jail, Papillion, Nebraska, January 11, 2016
Hello, everyone!
Thank you to all who are carrying me with them in heart and mind while I do this time here in Sarpy County Jail. It is felt deeply.
My spirit is strong these days, and I attribute this to the kindness surrounding me. Mostly I am grateful just simply to be alive and well, swinging my hammer of justice at Northrop Grumman/STRATCOM (United Stated Strategic Command).
I stand today with fierce conviction for the nonviolent direct action I have taken against the Northrop Grumman property in Bellevue, Nebraska on December 27, 2015. I broke two windows and a door window out of the Northrop Grumman building that night in an effort to expose the details of the defense contracts currently held by Northrop Grumman with STRATCOM at Offutt Air Force Base. Over the years, billions of taxpayer dollars are pouring into the hands of these money-hungry, bomb building, computer geek space war criminals.
I want to say now that I truly believe that the American people are done with war – done funding, killing and dying in U.S.-led wars and terrorism – and are ready to pave a path to peace.
Some folks, even personal friends of mine, are questioning my property destruction tactics at Northrop Grumman as one of a nonviolent nature. I refuse to delve too deeply into this conversation, for I believe the focus should rest primarily on Northrop Grumman and STRATCOM’s countless crimes against humanity. However, I will address a few small details of the events which occurred on the evening of December 27.
Yes, glass did shatter. It shattered like the illusion that Northrop Grumman holds human life in any way in its best interest. It shattered like the illusion Iraq ever possessed weapons of mass destruction. It shattered like the illusion Iraqis were involved in 9/11. It shattered like the lie that perpetual war will ever bring peace. Glass shattered in the name of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives taken when Northrop Grumman/STRATCOM’s direct bombs from space rained down upon them. I destroyed two windows and a door, yes! STRATCOM with its corporate partner Northrop Grumman destroys life in the tens of thousands.
I did not swing my hammer blindly. Actually, quite the opposite. I swung only at windows whose blinds were pulled up, to ensure I would injure no one. Nor did I break either of the windows or door threatening a human being.
When the police arrived, my arresting officer (who I ended up adoring and would love to grab a beer with when this is all said and done) found me kneeling in the main entrance of the Northrop Grumman building, with my empty hands raised above my head. He first asked me to lift my coat slowly to make sure I had no bombs strapped to me. I was eager to cooperate. I was not feeling threatened by him and I wanted to return the favor. I wanted to convey to him that I had love and respect for him as a fellow human being.
Admittedly, however, I did shrug a little, considering the irony that Northrop Grumman has just recently been awarded a $55 billion contract to build a new long range U.S. bomber … and I am the one being checked for bombs.
That all being said, I suppose that what I am trying to say is I acted in accordance with my conscience and my spirit, and that my property destruction was a useful form of nonviolent direct action. I do not stand in judgment of folks who feel uncomfortable using such methods. Nonetheless, I want to stand beside them, asking them to develop and apply their own means to expose the lies of Northrop Grumman and STRATCOM, be it through education, research, writing letters, public discussions, public vigils, rallies and marches and yes, even civil disobedience.
Blood is pouring through the streets of many nations in the Middle East. People are dying all over the globe, masses of human beings are being dislocated, and the environment is under attack; all this through our U.S.-led global warmaking ways. There isn’t a continent on the planet free of a U.S military presence; there are U.S military bases in over a hundred countries. People all over the planet are resisting the U.S. global military presence in hundreds of places. I just returned from Jeju Island, where Catholics and South Korean peace activists are resisting a South Korean/U.S. Navy base being built there.
We all have our part to play. Here in the heartland of America we who seek peace must make efforts to dismantle the U.S. military dominance of space from the top down, by publicly and nonviolently resisting the joint Northrop Grumman and STRATCOM missions.
This is why I acted. You do not have to act as radically or dramatically as I did, but please make a statement in your own way against government funded companies which focus on war and destruction.
Peace,
Jessica Reznicek
Sarpy County Jail
1208 Golden Gate Dr.
Papillion, NE 68046
[More information on Jessica’s action here.]