(Thanks to Shundahai Network for this report)

The Mother's Day Gathering at the Nevada Test Site drew about three hundred and fifty people from around the world in mid-May. Delegations from Taiwan, Belgium, the Netherlands, and across the United States (Alaska to Massachusetts) came together to support the Western Shoshone in their struggle to reclaim their stolen lands and put a halt to continued nuclear waste dumping and nuclear weapons testing. These people shared information about the ongoing environmental threats to their homelands. People from New Mexico, in the vicinity of Los Alamos, shared first hand information about the fires there, and what that might mean radiologically to the rest of the world.

Saturday night, May 13, a candle-lit procession made its way to the front gates of the test site. Walking to the beat of a sacred drum, people converged on the test site gates. An affinity group known as the "Peace-Lights", arranged themselves in a peace sign and blockaded the main entrance for over an hour. Eventually, the eighteen people were arrested by Nye County personnel, cited and released.

In the predawn darkness of Monday morning, May 15, activists following the Western Shoshone flag crossed into the test site, and set up a symbolic occupation of the site. A teepee was erected, and a sunrise ceremony began. Hundreds surrounded the ceremonial fire, praying for peace, justice and for the land to heal itself.

Also during the dawn, a small group of people maintained a presence at the test site gates, singing, dancing, and creating an open, friendly dialogue with the Wackenhut security guards. As a radioactive truck pulled into the test site, a young man from Los Angeles did his best to stop it. "This is Shoshone Land!" he cried, "You can't park that garbage here!!" He was soon detained by security and held in the pens. Charles Laws, Nevada Green Party congressional candidate, announced his intention to run for office as he crossed into the test site. Both men were soon cited and released.

Would-be legislator Laws' civil disobedience for peace is not unique among this year's candidates. War tax resister Mike Palacek is the Democrat vying for Iowa's Fifth District. Palacek writes: "I announced my candidacy by walking from the Air National Guard base in Sioux City to the guard base in Fort Dodge to protest bombing of Kosovo. In April I walked from Sheldon [home] to Sioux City to the IRS office [four days walk] carrying a crossed out tax form and letter saying I was a candidate for the June primary and I would not pay for prisons or the military.

"I won the primary, now facing an entrenched Republican. Got a letter recently from IRS saying if I would sign this form they would forget about it, otherwise they would forward it for possible prosecution. I won't answer the letter."

Palacek is also open about his own prison record, which includes time in federal prisons for repeated trespass at Offutt Air Force Base. He is seeking support for his campaign and can be reached at (712)324-3603.

SUBCRITICAL TESTS CONTINUE

The most recent subcritical nuclear weapons test was carried out on the afternoon of April 6. Code-named Oboe 4, the test was designed by the nuclear weapons makers to study "ejacta and spall" from an explosively-smashed disk of plutonium without inducing a critical nuclear reaction.

Twenty people gathered for a sunrise ceremony that day at the gate of the Nevada test site. Shortly after dawn, six people walked onto the test site. The three men and three women were held briefly, cited for trespass and then released.

Susi Snyder, roughed up during her arrest at the test site and jailed for four days when "Oboe 3" was detonated in February, was convicted of trespass, resisting arrest and being a public nuisance by Nye County Justice of the Peace Bill Sullivan on May 4. Five defense witnesses testified they had engaged in the same activity as Snyder, an organizer with the Shundahai Network, yet were not prosecuted on multiple charges.

She was fined $450 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, 16 suspended for one year of good behavior and credit for time served, leaving ten days left to serve. Snyder has filed an appeal.

For more information, contact the Shundahai Network, 5007 Elmhurst St., Las Vegas, NV 89108-1304; (702)647-3095; shundahai@shundahai.org or on the web at www.shundahai.org