News Release: 9 people arrested at Trident nuclear submarine base at Bangor Aug. 10

Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

16159 Clear Creek Road NW  Poulsbo, WA   98370

Website: www.gzcenter.org,   E-mail: info@gzcenter.org

 

Contacts:

Leonard Eiger, 425-445-2190, subversivepeacemaking@comcast.net

Tom Shea, 425-831-0033, tomshea@centurytel.net

 

AUGUST 10, 2009--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

9 people arrested at Trident nuclear submarine base at Bangor, marking

the 64th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

 

87 people participated in a vigil and nonviolent direct action against

the Trident nuclear weapons system at the Trigger Avenue gate to

Bangor nuclear submarine base early Monday morning .

 

Joy Goldstein, 74, 0f Vashon, WA, and her passenger, Swaneagle (Mary

Tremblay), 59, of Vashon, WA, drove onto the base and were arrested by

Naval security, processed and released.

 

Jessica Artiega, 24, of Tacoma, WA, Lynne Greenwald, 61, of Bremerton,

WA, and Tom Shea, 80, of Snoqualmie, WA crossed the blue line onto the

submarine base and attempted to block traffic entering the base while

holding a large banner with a sunflower and broken Trident missile

saying, "Abolish Nuclear Weapons: Resist Trident", and a peace flag.

All three were arrested by Naval security, processed and released.

Tom Shea offered the Naval security personnel copies of an article by

Larry Kerschner, titled "August 9, 1945: Ruminations on Nagasaki."

 

While vigilers held a variety of banners, flags and signs calling for

peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons a second group broke the

yellow "caution" tape designating the "free speech zone", and strung

it across the County roadway, blocking traffic entering the base.  One

member of this group walked among the vehicles waiting to enter the

base, offering drivers sunflowers, a symbol of nuclear disarmament.

Anne Hall, 64, of Seattle,WA,  Jackie Hudson, 74, of Bremerton, WA,

Brenda McMillan, 75, of Port Townsend, WA, Jean Sundborg, 69, of

Seattle, WA, and Alice Zillah, 36, of Olympia, WA, were arrested by

Washington State Patrol officers.

 

Following the release of the three Federal arrestees, Jessica Artiega

and Lynne Greenwald, who had already been processed and released by

Naval authorities, re-entered the roadway on the County side carrying

the same banner as before, and were arrested by the State Patrol.

All those arrested by the State Patrol were taken to Kitsap County

Justice Center in Port Orchard where they were booked and released.

Veterans For Peace, Squadron 13, who brought their Peace Bus to Ground

Zero Center for the weekend, which marked the anniversaries of the

bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, picked up the arrestees after

their release and returned them to Ground Zero Center.

 

Besides welcoming the Interfaith Peace Walk (from Los Alamos, New

Mexico to Ground Zero Center) and speaking by telephone with members

of the Journey of Repentance who were in Hiroshima, Japan, the weekend

included Charlie Meconis speaking on Energy, Environment & Nuclear

Weapons, and an engaging panel discussion with Vietnam Vet, Lawyer and

Peace Activist, Brian Willson, and Ground Zero founders, Jim and

Shelley Douglass.

 

The Trident submarine base at Bangor, just 20 miles from Seattle, is

home to the largest single stockpile of nuclear warheads in the U.S.

arsenal.  In November 2006, the Natural Resources Defense Council

declared that the 2,364 nuclear warheads at Bangor are approximately

24 percent of the entire U.S. arsenal.  The Ground Zero Center for

Nonviolence resists Trident, and offers education, training, and

action for a world free of nuclear weapons.

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