St. Patricks Day 4 Await Trial

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Tuesday March 16, 2004 15:14 by Mary Ann Grady - Ithaca NY Catholic Worker

Catholic Worker Anti-War Resistance

4 Catholic Workers arrested in an occupation of a US Army Marine Recruitment Centre on St. Patrick's Day 2003 await trial in Ithaca New York

TRIAL OF THE ST. PATRICK'S DAY FOUR
APRIL 6TH, 2004 -TUESDAY 9 AM-
1ST DAY- JURY SELECTION
2-3 DAYS(?)- PROSECUTION
3 or 4 DAYS(?)-
DEFENSE -may begin on Friday
or Monday- April 12th
Follow the email updates!

Tompkins County Court
320 N. Tioga St., Ithaca NY

(Below update letter:
-St. Patrick's Day 4 Statement
read at US Military Recruiter's Office
& description of the action)


Dear Friends and Supporters of the St. Patrick's Day Four,

Judge Sherman, who will preside over our case,
has assigned a trial date of April 6th, 2004.
The first day will be jury selection, followed by
the prosecution's case which may last from 2-3 days.
The defendants may begin their pro se (speaking on their
own behalf, not having a lawyer speaking for them) defense
on either Good Friday, April 9th or Easter Monday
April 12th and may last from 3-4 days. We hope that
many of you will be able to set time aside from your
busy schedules to attend the trial in a show of support and solidarity.

The death toll in Iraq continues to mount daily.
Violence only begets more of the same. As further
revelations concerning the lies and deceptions used
to drum up support for the war become exposed, we
hope that our trial will draw attention to the criminal
activity of our leaders.

The trial will take place in the Tompkins County
Courthouse at 320 N. Tioga St. in Ithaca, NY.
Howard Zinn and Ramsey Clark
are among those expected to testify on our behalf.
Housing is available for those coming from out of
town.
We are planning on providing lunch during the trial.
Please come and support Danny, Teresa, Clare and Peter
if you are able.
Financial support is also needed as all four are
primary supporters of their families. Financial
support can be sent to Ithaca Catholic Worker, 133
Sheffield Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850. (check memo line: St.
Pat's 4)
Please call 607-256-8529 or 607-277-6932 or email
dburns6076@yahoo.com for more information, directions
or for housing.
Thank you for your support!

THE ACTION
On St Patrick's Day, March 17, 2003,
after 12 years of US led bombing and sanctions
against Iraq, a full-out invasion of Iraq was imminent.
That day, Teresa B. Grady, Peter De Mott,
Clare Grady, and Daniel Burns went to the
local US Army/Marine Recruiting Center in an act of
nonviolent civil resistance. They read a statement
(enclosed-below) and poured a small amount of their own
blood around the vestibule of the center. They poured
their own blood, a potent and sacred symbol of life
and death, to make visible the bloodshed that is
inherent in the business of war and by extension,
the recruiting station. In addition, the four hoped to
share with potential recruits that the imminent war
with Iraq was illegal under US law and international
law. Finally, the action of the St. Patrick's Four
embodies the belief that war and killing are failures
of the human spirit and leave an irreparable wound
on not only those who are directly involved, but on all
of humanity.

They were arrested at the recruiting center and
spent four days in jail. Since then they have had various
court dates culminating in a July arraignment in
county court on charges of felony criminal mischief.
These charges carry a maximum penalty of 1&1/4 to 4
years in prison.

St. Patrick's Day Four Statement read on March 17, 2003
at the U.S. Army / Marine Recruiting Station,
Lansing, NY.(next to Ithaca)
Our statement begins with a quote from St. Patrick,
"Killing cannot be with Christ", and reads: Our
apologies, dear friends, for the fracture of good
order. As our nation prepares to escalate a war on
the people of Iraq by sending hundreds of thousands
of US soldiers to invade, we pour our blood on the
walls of this military recruiting center. We mark this
recruiting office with our own blood to remind
ourselves and others of the cost in human life of
our government's war making.
Killing is wrong. Preparations for killing are wrong.
The work done by the Pentagon with the connivance of
this military recruiting station ends with the
shedding of blood, and God tells us to turn away
from it. Blood is the symbol of life. All life is holy.
All people are created in the image and likeness of God.
All people are family and everyone is loved by God.
Dr. Martin Luther King reminds us that & we are
called to speak for the weak, the voiceless, for the
victims of our nation, for those it calls enemy, for no
document from human hands can make these humans any
less our brothers [and sisters].

We come here today with pictures of Iraqi people
-mothers, children, those who have been the
victims of US bombardment and sanctions for the past
twelve years. We come here with love in our hearts
for the young US service people, also victims of war
making.
We find hope in these dark times when sisters and
brothers around the world resist the spirit of hatred
and violence, lift up prayers for peace-together with works of peace.