Y-12 Civil Disobedience Campaign Continues

Y-12 CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

Nonviolent direct action continued at the Y-12 plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on March 5, when “People of Faith Call for Abolition” commemorated the 29th anniversary of the signing of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The Y-12 plant still produces nuclear weapons components, working with the Los Alamos and Livermore laboratories to develop new nuclear weapons and evaluate and upgrade older ones.

The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA) organized a day of activities including nonviolent direct action training and a march through the town of Oak Ridge, culminating in a vigil at the Y-12 gate. Police arrested 21 people attempting to enter the site to plant a prayer pole on the grounds of the bomb factory.

All were cited and released by early evening. In court on May 4, 19 defendants agreed to plead guilty, and after paying $150 in fines and fees and serving 30 days probation, their records will be cleared. One man has refused to pay, offering to turn himself in to jail after June 2, when the fine is due.

On May 24, International Women’s Disarmament Day, about 80 people enjoyed a variety of music and a skit drawing the connections between domestic violence, video violence, sports violence, and nuclear weapons. Eleven women were arrested when they crossed the line in an attempt to break this “circle of violence” by serving an Order of Protection on the bomb makers. The women were cited and released pending a June 17 court date.

For more information, contact the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, 100 Tulsa Rd. Suite 4A, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, (423)483-8202, orep@earthlink.net