Kings Bay Plowshares protesters found guilty

 

Beyond Nuclear's Linda Pentz Gunter covered the trial of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 for the UK daily, The Morning Star. The seven were charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor after they entered the Kings Bay Trident submarine base in Georgia on April 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Pictured above after the verdict are, left to right, Clare Grady, Liz McAlister, McAlister's daughter Frida Berrigan and Carmen Trotta).

After cutting a padlock (and replacing it), Mark Colville, Clare Grady, Martha Hennessy, Fr. Steve Kelly, Liz McAlister, Patrick O'Neill and Carmen Trotta split into three groups. Kelly, McAlister and Trotta cut through a fence and entered the Limited Area, a shoot to kill zone, where they displayed a banner before being peacefully apprehended. Colville and O'Neill went to the "missile display" site where they painted messages, splashed (McAlister's donated) blood and removed lit lettering and parts of the missile "monuments." Grady and Hennessy put up crime scene tape, painted messages and splashed blood, and left behind Daniel Ellsberg's book, The Doomsday Machine. 

The trial took four days (including an almost daylong jury selection process) and the jury took just two and a half hours to find all seven guilty on every count. They have been released to their families (with the exception of Kelly -- see why in the story). Sentencing is expected in January 2020.

Here is the beginning of Linda's report on the verdict. (Read the full article).

Seven peace activists who entered a US Trident submarine base in Georgia 18 months ago to protest against nuclear weapons were convicted on Thursday. 

The jury in the federal criminal trial took just under two-and-a-half hours to find the all of the defendants guilty on every count.

Mark Colville, Clare Grady, Martha Hennessy, Steven Kelly, Liz McAlister, Patrick O’Neill and Carmen Trotta were each convicted of conspiracy, destruction of property at the Kings Bay naval base and depredation — meaning damage — of government property. 

They were also found guilty of the lesser offence of trespass. The trial had lasted just four days.

Judge Lisa Godbey Wood said it would take her between 60 and 90 days to decide on their sentences.

All were released to their families except Father Kelly, a 70-year-old Catholic priest who has already spent more than 10 years of his life in jail for other protests. He remains incarcerated due to an earlier offence.

Read the full article.