Walk for Justice in the News

Antiwar’s Front Door

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:21:26 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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Ceylon Mooney gets arrested at military entrance processing station with the Walk for Justice

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by Ceylon Mooney
July 6, 2006

I was arrested again yesterday.

On July 5, Voices for Creative Nonviolence finished their 300-mile Walk for Justice by walking 2 blocks from the VA hospital in North Chicago to MEPCOM—also known as “Freedom’s Front Door”—the command center for the 52 military entrance processing stations across the country. At MEPCOM—at the threshold, so to speak—we read names from a list of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed by this most recent war. For this, we were arrested and charged with criminal trespass.

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by Ceylon Mooney
July 6, 2006

I was arrested again yesterday.

MEPCOM’s proximity to the VA hospital is a witness to tragedy. Since March 2003, at least 2534 folks who walked through “Freedom’s Front Door” have ended their walk dead in Iraq. Since March 2003, 18,356 U.S. soldiers have walked through that door to be wounded in Iraq. Today, thousands of veterans who walked through that door healthy and sane now walk the streets used, used up, homeless, suicidal, traumatized and addicted.

As we continue to highlight the injustice of stop-loss orders, forced rotations, and VA budget cuts, let’s not forget several million civilians held hostage in their own nation, living and dying at the muzzle end of a gun barrel: the majority of the 38 – 43,000 Iraqi civilians killed during this war and occupation were killed by young Americans who walked thru “Freedom’s Front Door” before setting foot on Iraq soil.

Call it whatever you want, this doorway to Hell should be closed. I’d like to see the young soldiers we confronted at MEPCOM out of uniform. I’d like to see them wearing O.R. scrubs, band t-shirts, cowboy boots or Vets for Peace baseball caps. They should be visiting Iraq as guests, not invaders; they should see Babylon as tourists, not occupiers. They should be armed with cameras and address books, not guns and flak jackets. I can dream, can’t I?

It has been a long time since I joined my friends in civil disobedience. In fact, it has been more than two years since the final action of a long series of confrontations with Boeing World Headquarters in downtown Chicago, and it has been just a bit longer than one year since the last of the Boeing 11 and our attorney, Tom Brejcha, spent three days in Judge Sheehan’s court putting on trial the Iraq war and Boeing’s role in this war.

Looking back over the past few years, I must say that we really hit the ground running to stop this war. I dare say that we got in the way as soon as we saw it coming. All across the globe, we tried everything. We went to Iraq, we became conscientious objectors, and we did war tax resistance; we organized, we made our opposition public, and we occupied buildings. We confronted the governments, corporations and other entities premeditating and promoting this mass murder. We filled the streets, we filled the courts, and we filled the jails. We fought and fought and fought and…as my friend Pat says, “sometimes we win, and that’s great. But we don’t fight because we can win—we fight because we have to fight.” So, as these atrocities continue, so do our efforts.

We can have our dreams—I know I have plenty. Although we can dream of a better world, we wake up every morning to the atrocity of war and terror. We must not only have the courage to keep dreaming, but we must also have the courage to wake up, stay wide awake, and keep fighting.

MEPCOM NVCD

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:19:11 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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July 12, 2006

By Diane Hughes

Although lack of sleep is generally not the best preparation for any undertaking, let alone nonviolent civil disobedience, despite a restless night and a bit of bronchitis, I felt determined to participate in the last day of the Voices for Creative Nonviolence Walk for Justice to the Military Enlistment Processing Command at Great Lakes Naval Base. This day would also provide an opportunity to participate in the nonviolent civil disobedience that Walk organizer Jeff Leys had hoped would complete the Walk.

For some time I had done what’s expected of good and faithful citizens who disagree with wayward government policies: I’d become informed from various sources, participated in vigils, organized educational programs, communicated with my Senators and Congressman, written letters to the editor, and voted for the lesser of two evils. With an increase in death and injury of Iraqi citizens and US soldiers, escalation of US hegemony, even more accounts of Administration lies, torture and unwarranted imprisonment at Guantanamo, and extraordinary rendition, my fear, anger, sadness, and frustration moved me beyond dialogue to a desire for action.

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July 12, 2006

By Diane Hughes

So on this truly beautiful day, it felt right to finish the Walk (having participated in its first two days from Springfield to Greenview) and take my civic responsibility seriously by risking arrest while standing on military ground and reading the names of the dead.

During the Walk and vigil, I had a chance to center my thoughts on the relevance and implications of our action; greet old Voices friends; meet Ceylon, another companion on the NVCD journey; and talk with other vigilers. One Veteran for Peace from Sheboygan commiserated about our common experience of vigiling in conservative communities. Cassandra, a Catholic Worker, also traveled from Wisconsin. She told me that she staffs a hospitality house just outside the federal prison, providing comfort for families and friends who travel miles and miles to visit their loved ones incarcerated there. My resolve was strengthened by these and the other good people with whom I shared the final leg of this month-long journey.

As we got closer to the MEPCOM, drivers passed our signs, mostly honking in support or throwing up two fingers in the universal sign of peace. We broke off from the vigilers as we went to one entrance, then another, looking for a way through the gate. As we got closer, we formed a plan and easily crossed the threshold of MEPCOM. We stepped several feet into the parking lot, unfurled Ceylon’s banner, and read off the names of Iraqi citizens and U.S. soldiers dead from this War, completing each name with the ringing of a bell. One of the soldiers told us that we were trespassing on government property, and if we didn’t leave we would be arrested.

As Jeff spoke with another officer, Ceylon said to the first that we would stop reading if we could go into the building and read the names. As Jeff was arrested, we sat down and continued to read from the long list: each name a real individual who had experienced beautiful days like this one; many young people who would never live to bear children; young children who never knew why someone from another country would inhabit their land and effectivley take away their childhood; and parents who could do nothing — nothing — to protect their children.

In less than a few minutes we were also arrested, made to lay face down on the ground, put our hands behind us, be lifted to stand, patted down, searched, and processed.

Although I can say that I was treated well under the circumstances, I don’t believe that was quite the case for Mike Ferner, a photojournalist who was taking pictures of our arrest, asked to leave, and, when he left as requested, arrested anyway.

During our five-hour booking and since there was no room available for me, from my vantage point in the reception area, I was able to observe the comings and goings, looks of surprise as one officer pointed in amazement at least two of the rap sheets. It was also just long enough to witness the softening of the all-business staff into good people who were just doing their jobs. There were candid revelations that we were asked not to repeat which confirmed some of my greatest fears about what can happen in the fog of war.

The three of us who crossed the line with intention were charged with trespass to federal land and released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond (which my lawyer husband tells me is quite high for a misdemeanor). Although Mike was also released on personal recognizance, he was additionally charged with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. On July 20, we will appear in state, not federal, court in the Circuit Court of Lake County in Waukegan.

Before we left, the booking officer asked us if we thought we’d accomplished anything. I replied that I had done all the things a good citizen should do when disagreeing with the government. Yes, I did accomplish something: a sense of power in resistance to injustice. And if anyone who witnessed our action or learned about it in any other way feels called to think differently about the War, or feels moved to take their next step, our action will have achieved that much more.

If I had to do it over, I would do it again. Spending all my professional life in healthcare — as a registered nurse and social worker — I believe that this War is a health care issue of huge magnitude. If my calling is to heal, as one individual I can think of no better way to contribute to healing than to do what I can to stop the hurting. My faith as a Catholic who believes in a wounded Redeemer allows for no less. And my compassion as a parent calls me beyond tears of sadness to solidarity with the Iraqi and U.S. mothers.

Vietnam-Era Veteran Arrested at VA Medical Center for Wearing Peace T-Shirt

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:13:33 -0600

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July 6, 2006

Democracy Now! talks with Mike Ferner and Kathy Kelly about dissent in the US, Ferner’s arrest at a V.A. Medical Center in Chicago for wearing a Veterans for Peace T-Shirt, and the Walk for Justice which concluded yesterday, July 5th, at a U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command in North Chicago.

See Democracy Now! to listen or watch the interview.

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July 6, 2006

See Democracy Now! to listen or watch the interview.

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Walk for Justice

Rally at Rep. Hastert's Batavia Office

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:08:17 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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Walk for Justice participants entered Batavia and arrived at Dennis Hastert’s office. Members of the Fox Valley Citizens for Peace and DeKalb Interfaith Peace Network rallied with walk participants.

Dan Pearson and Nina Klooster in front of Rep. Hastert’s office

In front of Rep. Hastert’s office

Peace march stops at Hastert office on way across Illinois

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:06:17 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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For Photos of the rally see; Rally at Rep. Hastert’s Batavia Office

Hiking for 20 days: Kathy Kelly invokes Lincoln’s opposition to another conflict

By Sean Ostruszka
The Beacon News

BATAVIA — More than 20 days of walking landed Kathy Kelly in Batavia Tuesday.

A former Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Kelly took a break from her journey across the state to stop outside of the downtown Batavia office of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

There, along with almost 40 other peace advocates, Kelly organized a rally in an attempt to speak with the GOP leader about the war in Iraq.

“Hastert has a unique opportunity to distinguish himself and take a political chance,” Kelly said through a loudspeaker.

“He has the support of his constituents to try and pull our troops out of Iraq.”

Kelly, along with those around her, told stories, read poems and sang an occasional song, all trying to get their point across to Hastert, who was presiding over the House in Washington on Tuesday.

The stop in Batavia was one of many on Kelly’s journey, “Walk for Justice,” which started on June 6 in Springfield and has taken her more than 250 miles.

The walk, intended to be a demonstration of peace and an effort to bring the U.S. troops home, will end at the North Chicago U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command on July 5.

While many show up to walk on a day-to-day basis, only Kelly and two other core members of the peace group Voices for Creative Nonviolence will walk the entire way.

Timothy Keough is an intern at Voices for Creative Nonviolence, has walked alongside Kelly since the journey started back on the steps of the state Capitol.

While walking is one of the obligations he has for being an intern, Keough says he is proud to be making the trip.

“I see (the walk) as a good cause,” Keough said.

“I see it as something I feel called to do and all Americans should feel called to do.

“It is a grand opportunity to display patriotism.”

Having walked across a good portion of Illinois, Kelly uses the state’s history as a lesson for peace.

She spoke of Illinois as the land of Abraham Lincoln, and how at the time of the U.S. war against Mexico, Lincoln came out against the war.

It was Lincoln’s actions that Kelly hopes Hastert will follow.

“Congressman Hastert, we challenge you, your co-workers and your colleagues to listen to Abraham Lincoln,” Kelly said, “to have a vision of security, and to avoid an unnecessary war.” Nobel Prize nominee leads walk

Peace activists walk through Tri-Cities

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:04:47 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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By Gala M. Pierce
Daily Herald Staff Writer
June 28, 2006

Some drivers honked, others slowed and some sped by the small parade of protesters who walked steadily from Elburn to Batavia Tuesday, carrying signs such as “Peace is patriotic” and “Who would Jesus bomb?”

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By Gala M. Pierce
Daily Herald Staff Writer
June 28, 2006

The nine men and women, who met up with a group of 30 in Batavia, took part in a 30-day 350-mile peace march called Walk for Justice, which started in Springfield June 7 and will end July 5 in North Chicago.

Their main mission is to end the war and the U.S. occupation in Iraq, said Mary Shesgreen of Elgin of the Fox Valley Citizens for Peace.

The activists also spoke for a just resolution in the Israeli-Palestine conflict, for the United States to refrain from military action or punitive economic sanctions against Iran, and to cease the use of torture.

Dan Pearson of Chicago, a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, also advocated for rehabilitation instead of incarceration for youth.

Nobel Prize nominee Kathy Kelly of Chicago said she has seen firsthand how the violence is affecting the Iraqi people as she returned from Iraq for the 26th time three weeks ago.

“When you are with children who are quivering under these bombs, you realize the terrible, terrible terror inflicted upon the Iraqi people,” she said Tuesday afternoon.

She and Timothy Keough of Memphis, Tenn., both of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, protested at Sen. Dick Durbin’s Springfield office. They had implored Durbin to investigate the situation in Ramadi, Iraq, whose citizens are under siege, Keough said.

The group gathered at House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s office in downtown Batavia. Letters from pastors in the DeKalb and Sycamore area who were against the war were submitted to Hastert’s representatives through a Batavia police officer.

Rosemarie Slavenas of DeKalb, a Gold Star mother, gave a pair of soldier’s boots. It symbolized the loss of her son, Brian, of the Illinois National Guard, who was killed in Iraq in 2003.

Hastert spokesman Brad Hahn said in the past two weeks, both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted against setting a timeline for troop withdrawal.

“Hastert has witnessed democracy in Iraq firsthand and knows the devastating consequence of abandoning the Iraqi government,” said Hahn, who confirmed Hastert was in Washington Tuesday. “We all want our troops to come home as soon as possible, but they must be allowed to complete the job first.”

Today, the walkers will have a vigil and send-off from Hastert’s office from 8 to 9 a.m., and head toward West Chicago Public Library’s lawn at 118 W. Washington St. to end up at Wheaton College.

Other participating groups include Pax Christi, Greater Aurora Peace and Justice and the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice.

Jean Pierce of Geneva, who joined the protesters for the day, thought it was important that they make their presence in such a conservative area.

“I just want people to be thinking about peace and negotiations rather than war,” she said.

Raising the Bar

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:03:47 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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Why we expect more on the war from the “good guys”

By Diane Hughes
Illinois Times
June 22, 2006

Contemplating nonviolent civil disobedience at the office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin isn’t easy. On the one hand, Durbin is one of the senators most supportive of ending the Iraq War; on the other, he has consistently voted to fund the war. As I find myself increasingly angry and frustrated about the lies, torture, disregard for self-determination, and tremendous expense of this administration’s war, I am motivated to take action beyond my usual work for peace.

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Why we expect more on the war from the “good guys”

By Diane Hughes
Illinois Times
June 22, 2006

About a year ago I had thought about sitting in at the office of Sen. Durbin, whom I greatly admire and support. In fact, when my husband asked, “Why would you do that when he’s one of the good guys?” I deferred to what I thought was his good judgment. However, when one of Durbin’s aides posed a similar question, this time I could say that because of this senator’s understanding of the issues, it makes absolute sense to advocate for “raising the bar” for him.

I joined Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and Tim Keough, a Walker for Justice and Christian Brothers University student, because of the imminent attack on Ramadi, a city in the Anbar province where there are said to be insurgents loyal to Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the assassinated leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. As U.S. and Iraqi forces prepared to eliminate Zarqawi’s supporters, Los Angeles Times correspondents Megan K. Stack and Louise Roug reported that “a desperate population of 400,000 people [are] trapped in the crossfire between insurgents and U.S. forces. Food and medical supplies are running low, prices for gas have soared because of shortages and municipal services have ground to a stop.”

Our desire was to bring attention to this possible attack that could resemble the 2004 bombing of Fallujah, in which many people died or were injured. Also the recent arrival of 1,500 U.S. troops reinforces the military presence in the city and further underscores the seriousness of these activities. Although the U.S. Army is telling residents to evacuate Ramadi, the difficulty of doing so is intensified because they cannot flee to Baghdad, the nearest city; the government militia is suspicious of anyone entering the city. Furthermore, we were concerned about a media blackout on Ramadi.

With these thoughts, we entered Durbin’s office. After we asked to speak with the senator or one of his aides, the senator’s downstate director, Bill Houlihan, came down from his office and heard our request: that Durbin find out the specifics on this impending attack, address the issue on the floor of the Senate, and speak with the media. After Houlihan said that he would e-mail Durbin with this message, Kelly asked whether we could respectfully sing the names of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi victims of the war. Houlihan said he didn’t have much time to listen but stayed with us for a while as we prayerfully sang their names. We continued for about an hour, when a man, who did not identify himself, asked us to leave the building and continue our vigil outside, if we so desired. Kelly indicated that we were remembering the dead, and we continued. Shortly afterward, a woman who identified herself as a federal marshal asked that we stop singing because we were disrupting the workplace. Kelly suggested that senator’s staff might want to take a moment from their day and join us. When a staffer suggested that we move our vigil to the conference room, I stated that I felt that that would still be in the spirit of our vigil and moved from the reception area. After a few moments I heard no more singing and returned to the reception area to see Keough and Kelly being led away in handcuffs.

As we resumed our vigil outside, speaking the names of the dead, Houlihan came out and said that the senator wanted to talk with me by phone. Durbin told me what had gone on in the Senate that afternoon. Although I was glad to hear that amendments had been proposed to bring the troops home in a specific period of time, I told him that our major worry was for the people of Ramadi. After I explained the main issues, he replied that he didn’t realize that this was happening. We agreed that I would send him information that he would read, and, if he felt it appropriate, he would speak from the Senate floor about the imminent threat to innocent people in Ramadi. This was conveyed to the vigilers, and we left the area, as we had planned, at 4 p.m.

Over the course of the past year, people in our local peace movement have questioned what impact we can have as private citizens, what I will call the “I’m only one person” syndrome. There is a point, and I pray that our elected officials and neutral citizens are beginning to reach it, when we must follow a path toward what is just instead of what is expedient. My choice to speak out in this way will not be the choice of many others, nor does it need to be. It is only one form of risk we can take to let others know that we are serious when we say this war must end. Our troops need to come home. Now.

Photos: Walk for Justice Participants Visit Senator Durbin's Office

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:57:28 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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Jackie Wilkes, Diane Lopez Hughes, Brice Brinkman, Beni Kitching, Brendan Hughes, Renee Espeland, Lee Jankowski, Dan Pearson, Jeff Leys, Tim Keough, and Kathy Kelly entered Senator Durbin’s Springfield Office Thursday, June 15, 2066 to relay their concerns and to ask that he denounce the U.S. military preparations and plans to attack the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

Outside Senator Durbin’s Springfield, Il office.

Several “Walk for Justice” participants inside Senator Durbin’s office.

Tim Keough was arrested by the Federal Protective Service in Springfield, Il for “failure to conform”

Kathy Kelly is removed from Dick Durbin’s office in Springfield, IL and arrested by the Federal Protective Service after refusing to leave.

Group protests CAT

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:20:09 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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By Mark Welp HOI-19, ABC
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Caterpillar Inc. held its annual stockholders meeting in Chicago on Wedesday and protestors held their annual vigil outside the company’s headquarters in Peoria.

About a dozen people held signs condemning Caterpillar for selling bulldozers to Israel.

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By Mark Welp HOI-19, ABC
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Caterpillar Inc. held its annual stockholders meeting in Chicago on Wedesday and protestors held their annual vigil outside the company’s headquarters in Peoria.

About a dozen people held signs condemning Caterpillar for selling bulldozers to Israel.

The protestors claim the Israeli government uses the equipment to destroy Palestinian homes.

Several people participating in a “Walk for Justice” stopped in Peoria to send Caterpillar a message.

“A group of us is walking from Springfield to North Chicago to address the various wars in the Mideast and Caterpillar plays a key role in the conflict in Israel-Palestine,” said Jeff Leys of Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

“Maybe get some people at Caterpillar to think about their involvement in human rights abuses,” said Terri Brink of the Peoria Area Peace Network. “And hopefully one of these days CAT will not sell equipment to Israel that’s involved in the violation of human rights.”

Caterpillar released a statement saying, “We clearly have neither the legal right nor the tangible ability to regulate how customers use their machines.”

Anti-war Activists Target Pekin

voices — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:19:07 -0600

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Walk for Justice

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By Shanna Shipman
Pekin Daily Times correspondent
June 13, 2006

PEKIN - An anti-war activist whose past protests led to her imprisonment at the Federal Correctional Institution-Pekin, drew parallels between her experience there and international issues as a “Walk for Justice,” made by an activist group called Voices for Creative Nonviolence, traveled through central Illinois Monday.

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By Shanna Shipman
Pekin Daily Times correspondent
June 13, 2006

Kathy Kelly, author of “Other Lands have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison,” says problems within the federal correctional system stem from the same root problem as the international issues she touts: misuse of the nation’s resources.

“We think it is important to ask, where is the wealth and the productivity of the US being directed in our time, because we are all responsible for that Š Not just a few, but all of us,” Kelly said, stating that money spent on war weaponry or imprisonment, for instance, could be better allocated to programs such as education and health care.

Emerging from a painted bus with the words “Nonviolence or nonexistance” on its side, the group walked north on Route 29 before stopping for an hour-long vigil in front of the Pekin prison Monday. The group of about 10 protesters sang, prayed, and spoke of their own vision of justice.

Domestically, the group supports a “radical reformation of the prison system in the US,” according to walk organizer Jeff Leys. The walk, beginning in Springfield Wednesday and slated to end in Chicago on June 25, gives the group a chance to engage in dialogue on these and other issues, Leys said.

“Really, there is a lot we can learn from people in prison. In the Pekin prison I met kindly women, sensitive women,” Kelly said. Kelly claims that while 82 percent of the women in Pekin’s minimal security camp are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes, one fourth of them are serving terms for 8 years or more. “That is a long time to be removed from your family. Has our society failed their children?” Kelly said.

Michael Weghorst of Pekin FCI said Tuesday that Kelly’s criticism that the federal correctional system focuses too heavily on punishment versus rehabilitation is not founded in reality. “From the moment they come here, we begin our reentry program,” Weghorst said. Classes and individual services offered the inmates are geared toward “helping them to live a better life once they reenter society,” said Weghorst.

Kelly was joined by other former inmates of Pekin FCI Monday. Pekin FCI security allowed demonstrators to gather along Route 29 in front of the portion of the prison that houses female inmates, although not allowing them to enter further on prison property. Security marshalls stood by during the demonstration and were also on hand Tuesday morning.

Demonstrators parked at Route 29 and VFW Road Tuesday around 9 a.m. and planned to stop briefly at the prison for a moment of silence before continuing their walk to Caterpillar Inc. headquarters to protest the company’s sale of earthmoving equipment to Israel. The group claims that Caterpillar bulldozers are being used to demolish Palestinian homes and tree groves.

Voices for Creative Non-Violence, based out of Chicago, espouses international goals that include ending the war in Iraq and pledging no unilateral action against Iran.

“From our experience in Iraq, it is not so clear that America is safer when we get involved in a preemptive war,” Kelly said.

The director of activist group Voices in the Wilderness, Kelly spent Monday evening at a Peoria Heights book store signing copies of her book that traces her group’s efforts to deliver medicines to Iraqi children while breaking the international embargo of Iraq in the late 1990s.

Voices in the Wilderness was founded in 1996 to protest United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

Kelly spent three months at Pekin FCI following her arrest in November 2003 while protesting at the School of Americas.

Renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” in 2001, the School of Americas is a United States Army facility at Fort Benning, Ga., that trains Latin American military personnel. Opponents frequently protest the school’s existence, calling it an example of U.S. support for regimes that infringe upon human rights. In an attempt to rectify this, the school has implemented a curriculum that includes instruction in human rights, but controversy continues with respect to the school and the actions of its graduates.