Before dawn on Ash Wed., Feb 12, six people calling themselves the Prince
of Peace Plowshares boarded USS The Sullivans at Bath Iron Works,
Maine. USS The Sullivans is an Aegis destroyer
commissioned by the Navy to the Bath Iron Works .
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The activists were observed by security upon boarding the destroyer and, as
he called for reinforcement, they fanned out to the Pilot House, the Bridge,
the Helicopter Pad, and the Missile Hatch Covers. On each they hammered
and poured their [own] blood. On the deck, their banner was unfurled
Prince of Peace Plowshares
They shall beat their swords into Plowshares and their Spears
into Pruning Hooks
They were able to
read their statement together before security -- both BIW and Navy police -
leveled guns (including shotguns) at them and forceably threw them to the
deck.
The six plowshare activists, once in custody at the Cumberland County Jail
in Portland, ME,
are now being dispersed to the various prisons in which they will serve
their sentences. At first charged with criminal trespass and criminal
mischief, Prince of Peace Plowshares were eventually convicted of federal
charges of conspiracy and the destruction of government property.
The arraignment was Friday, February 14. The trial began May 5, 1997.
At the conclusion of the trial the
defendents had been found guilty as charged.
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Steve Baggarly
- 31, husband and father - lives with and
serves poor and homeless people in Norfolk VA with the Norfolk Catholic
Worker.
Philip Berrigan
- 72, WWII vet, plowshare activist, member of Jonah House and father of 3.
Read an open letter from Philip
Mark Colville
- 35, husband and father of 3 young children, urban minister and member of
Cesar Jerez Catholic worker, New Haven.
Susan Crane
- 52, mother of 2 sons, former high school teacher, resides at Jonah House , a nonviolent resistance
community in Baltimore, MD.
Steve Kelly SJ
- Jesuit priest, plowshares activist, member of Jubilee West Plowshares.
Tom Lewis-Boberly
- 56, artist, painter, printmaker, happily married, father of a 5 year
old daughter, plowshares activist and 30 years of nonviolent resistance
history including the Baltimore 4 and the Catonsville 9.
Get in touch with the Plowshares activists
ACTION AND RESPONSE
Three things we ask on behalf of the Prince of Peace Plowshares
- efforts to deepen public awareness about the vision and role
of plowshares actions
- raising funds to meet their upcoming expenses
- encouraging media to cover their witness with reflective pieces
Celebrate the witness of the Prince of Peace Plowshares. Organize a
festival of hope in your area to provide a forum for deeper reflection
on the issure that led the six to act, as well as invite press coverage
and raise funds. Activists ( probably not the 6
who are likely to be in jail ) would be available to speak at such
gatherings about the spirit of the Prince of Peace Plowshares.
