The
seventh annual Sisters Witness Against War vigil, at the North Gate of Peterson
Air Force Base. Sisters from the Colorado Springs orders of Mount St. Francis
and Benet Hill were joined by Mennonite sisters and 50 members of the activist
community. Every year this vigil happens the anniversaries of the dropping
of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. Participating
this year are Sister Barbara Huber of Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Sister
Mary Ann Cunningham of the Sisters of Loretto in Denver and Esther Kisamore
of Colorado Springs.
Trial report from December 5 at bottom
Banners at the Peterson AFB gate
The group marches to the gate
Barbara, Esther and Mary Ann cross the line onto military property
Apparently a rep of the military or police confers with Barbara
Discussions and explanations ensue
Barbara reads their statement against war
Final chance to leave and avoid arrest is given
Barbara is led away and another escort for Esther is called up
Mary Ann and Esther are led away
Gazette coverage of the protest
Each year Catholic Sisters
witnessing against war congregate at Peterson AFB to pray, sing and hold peace
signs. On August 8, 2008, after the legal, religiously-motivated peace vigil
ended, two Sisters, Barbara Huber and Mary Ann Cunningham and Mennonite Esther
Kisamore began their walk into the base to deliver their religious peace message
to the base commander, General Kahler. Unlike other people, who were entering
the base who were not part of the vigil and who were allowed in 113 feet to
the entrance booth and visitors’ center on foot, bicycles, or by car,
they were immediately stopped. Their action, the military claimed, was simply
a protest, a trespassing, and they must leave or be arrested and also receive
a “ban and bar” letter prohibiting them from coming on the base
for a future time uncertain. Moreover, unlike others, they were not told about
an alternative – to go to the west gate where they would not be stopped
and where they could deliver their letter to someone who would hand carry it
directly to the General.
Friday,
December 5 was supposed to be their trial. Instead, on Wednesday, December 3,
Judge Robert Warren, after hearing that the attorneys, Bill Durland and Tom
Barnes intended to present evidence of discriminatory prosecution based on the
above facts, ruled that the defendants could not present such evidence in his
court. Thus, having no defense, they lost their case before trial. He described
the actions of their witnesses as “manufactured,” the actions of
the vigilers as creating a “disturbance” and other similar and prejudicial
remarks. His ruling effectively gutted their defense so that the defendants
changed their plea to “no contest” figuratively turning their backs
on the court’s unruly treatment of their explanation of innocence.
The
end result was a deferred sentence and 12 community service hours for Cunningham
and 42 community service hours for Huber and Kisamore. Afterwards, 40 persons
who came to hear their very moving statements to the judge, a military veteran,
before sentencing, gathered outside the courtroom in solidarity with these heroes
for peace.
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