Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Catholic Worker Jailed For Civil Disobedience














We'd like to ask for your prayers and financial mercy for our brother, Marcus Blaise Page, from the Trinity House Catholic Worker Community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There's a $1000.00 price tag on his head whilst he sits in jail as a guest of Big Brother for a misdemeanor charge--an exorbitant cost which will hinder other local community works of mercy that all the members of Trinity House are involved in carrying out at a personal sacrifice ....

NEWS RELEASE
15 April 2008

Contact Trinity Nuclear Abolitionists: 505-242-0497 or Chelsea: 510-499-8917

Los Alamos Lab Security Arrests Two Peace Activists; Vigil Continues for Tax Day

Two representatives from the Albuquerque-based Trinity Nuclear Abolitionists were arrested last night (April 14) at 9:30 pm during a 24 hour prayer vigil at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Three other vigilers are continuing the action today at the Lab until noon at the corner of Diamond Drive and West Jemez Rd.

The event began at noon on April 14th. Trinity Nuclear Abolitionists (TNA) had verbal permission from head of security Donna Martinez for "daylight hours" only. Two TNA members were arrested while praying, after they stated to Los Alamos police officers that they were not on the property to cause violence but to protest the nuclear weapons design happening at Los Alamos Lab. The two pled Not Guilty this morning to the charge of criminal trespass, which carries a $1,000 fine and/or 364 days in prison. They will be bonded out from jail today and expect a jury trial within six months.

TNA has two purposes for being at LANL today, Tax Day. The primary purpose is to prayerfully encourage the nonviolent, safe, clean disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, along with the clean-up of LANL, under the guidance of LANS. The second is to visibly celebrate the war-tax boycott organized by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. "This maybe the first time people have held a 24-hour public prayer for abolition here on alleged Laboratory property. Such prayer-actions are necessary for spiritual health and public health. Our nuclear New Mexico urgently needs different uses of federal income tax allocations." said Marcus Page of TNA.

This is the 9th monthly vigil for peace conducted by TNA, and the longest one so far. TNA is committed to the cause of sanity, safety, decency, beauty, love and peace--all in opposition to LANL's work. TNA consistently calls for an end to all nuclear weapons research, development, testing, refurbishing, and production. Aware of the tax money allocated for nuclearism TNA is part of the worldwide nuclear abolition movement working for social justice and spiritual integrity.

http://www.trinityhouse.catholicworker.biz/

3 comments:

Unknown said...

So let me get this straight: they were given permission to pray on the property (of a government nuclear research facility) during daylight hours. They then decided that this wasn't good enough for them, and that they'd stay on the property as late as they darn well pleased. They then got arrested for trespassing. And I'm supposed to feel outraged because...?

Miki Odendahl said...

Stephen, no one is asking you to feel outraged--none of us actually do.

Here's the thing you're missing, however: the men in question were exercising their First Amendment rights on the three-foot public easements (that my own tax dollars pay for, whether I like it or not) in front of the LANL installation property. Asking (and receiving) the head of LANL's security department for cooperation was only a courtesy that the vigilers took on as an act of personal responsibility for, and full disclosure of, their purposes. This vigil has been going on for many months, and only now do the local authorities decide to arrest anyone? It doesn't make alot of sense.

Regardless, the impact of these arrests goes far beyond the men who have been charged and bonded out until their hearings. Trinity House is an intentional community living with and serving the poor in New Mexico. The fact that they've had to divert funds from other areas to keep some of their key members free to engage in the Works of Mercy that they daily give themselves to in the sevice of others is at issue. The violation by the authorities of their freedom to exercise their guaranteed civil rights "without fear of censure or impunity" (see the First Amendment) is another.

I haven't asked you to be outraged--I have, however, asked for your prayers in accordance with common Christian charity, as the Apostle Paul admonished us in the name of Christ, for the whole Trinity House community and those whom they serve. I have also asked, if you are of the mind to do so, to contribute financially for the sake of those whom Trinity House serves whilst this Act of Conscience plays itself out in the courts....

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of GOD; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with respect, hating even the garment spotted by flesh." ~Jude 20-23

"...and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore....and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken it." ~Micah 4:3-4

Hope that clarifies it for you, Stephen....

In His Grace, miki

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for your support. Actually we are not outraged over anything to do with "trespassing" which we are not guilty of. We find it really sad and it brings us to tears that people are more concerned with us praying for peace than with ruthless criminals who feel no guilt for creating and using death to murder. We want it to be known that all are forgiven for redemption is a value held high by us, and we only call for those in positions to stop death to do so. Than together we can move forward as life is for living not killing and dying.
Peace, love, Unity,
Trinity Nuclear Abolitionists
galluppeace.blogspot.com
lovarchy.org/LANS