[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] “17 Blackwater Defendants Plead Guilty...

Sat Jun 27 14:24:04 CDT 2009

My wife and I went to Galena [so spelt] for this hearing.  She notes that she 
was particularly impressed with how the court conducted itself. --CGE

Conrad Wetzel wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Frank Cordaro
> <mailto:frank.cordaro at gmail.com> *To:* National CW E-mail List 
> <mailto:National-CW-E-mail-List at googlegroups.com> ; Google Iowa Peace List
> E-mail <mailto:Iowa-Peace-List at googlegroups.com> *Sent:* Friday, June 26,
> 2009 11:36 AM *Subject:* “17 Blackwater Defendants Plead Guilty and were
> Sentenced, 5 Plead Not Guilty and will go to Trial” Report from Blackwater 22
> Court appearance in Galina IL
> 
> Link to "22 Arrested in action at Blackwater site with Midwest Resistance
> Retreat, 2009" reports, videos and photos: 
> http://www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/blackwaterretreat.html
> 
> Link to photo slide show of Blackwater 22 getting arrested: 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/monashaw/sets/72157618344371092/show/
> 
> ------
> 
> 
> 
> June 24, Galena County Courthouse, IL
> 
> Report by David Stocker <originsofmusic at gmail.com 
> <mailto:originsofmusic at gmail.com>>
> 
> 
> 
> "I am a third-generation farmer from Iowa. What I did on April 27 was 
> patriotic, and I'm proud of it," defendant Chris Gaunt, 52, from Grinnell,
> IA, said in her statement before sentencing.
> 
> 
> 
> The 22 defendants in the April 27, 2009, Blackwater trespassing action were
> scheduled for hearing at 10 AM. By that time, the pubic gallery was about
> halffilled with friends and activists from the peace movement who had come to
> witness the next step in the process of “throwing a shoe” at Blackwater.  On
> April 25-27, 2009, more than 100 people came to Stockton’s Unitarian
> Universalist Church to participate in a two-day conference/retreat on
> Blackwater/ Xe that included an address by author Jeremy Scahill and training
> for the civil disobedience action, which ended with the arrest of 22 brave
> souls who tried to serve moral bankruptcy papers and an eviction notice at
> the N IL Blackwater site.  This event, along with actions in Potrero, CA and 
> Moyock, NC, have dragged Blackwater into the national spotlight where its
> actions are receiving greater scrutiny than it would like.
> 
> 
> 
> Blackwater/Xe has been persistently developing a training facility on 80
> acres at Skunk Hollow Road near Stockton, Illinois.  Without public 
> invitation, Blackwater appeared as an armed force in the aftermath of 
> hurricane Katrina. Blackwater has also gained lucrative contracts worth
> billions to perform border security in Southwestern USA and is presently
> operating in Iraq and Afghanistan under the rebranded title Xe.
> 
> 
> 
> As Rock Falls IL, defendant and peace activist Fred Turk, 71 pointed out to
> the court, “This is part of a B/Xe strategy—to be on the ground floor of
> corporatization of the national police force.”
> 
> 
> 
> The defendants in the Galena action finally entered the courtroom at 11:30
> with their attorney Edward L. Osowski, a Chicago-based attorney, familiar
> with political trials after working on a number of SOA trials. After some
> awkwardness at seating all 22 defendants in the crowded space available, the
> "Choice of Plea" appearance began before Judge Kevin Ward.  All were asked if
> they were fully aware of the charges facing them.  All replied that they
> understood.
> 
> 
> 
> The court first dealt with the defendants who wished to plead not guilty.
> Four defendants asked for a bench trial and entered pleas of not guilty.
> They were Roberta, 65, and Don, 67, Thurstin-Timmerman of Park Falls WI,
> (former Milwaukee CWers), Lee Jankowski, 50, itinerate CW home repair person,
> and Becky Lambert, 25, from the Winona, MN, CW. Their trial is scheduled for
> September 4 and they will be represented by Edward L. Osowski.
> 
> 
> 
> Defendant, Michael Walli, 60, from the Duluth MN, CW, pleaded not guilty buty
> requested a trial by jury. Walli wearing a bright orange T-shirt with the
> words “Close Guantanamo,” had traveled from Washington, DC, after appearing
> in court there pursuant to another civil disobedience action regarding the
> closing of Guantanamo. As previously agreed, Walli told the Judge while he
> appreciated his service thus far, he no longer wished to be represented by
> Edward Ozowski (Osowski had told the group earlier he would not be available 
> for a jury trial) and asked for a court-appointed attorney.  Walli told the
> judge he is a transient missionary with an income of less than $500 per year
> and had no means to hire an attorney. Judge Ward initiated the process of
> appointing an attorney for Michael, and his case was put on hold.
> 
> 
> 
> The remaining 17 defendants all pleaded “guilty” to a Class B Misdemeanor
> Criminal Trespass charge with a maximum penalty of $1500 and six months in
> jail, and a minimum penalty of “court supervision.” In the pre court
> exchanged between judge , the attorneys and the defendants, Judge Kevin Ward
> had let it be known that he was going to sentence all who pleaded guilty to
> pay a combined court cost and fine of $250 with a six-month unsupervised
> probation, about half of what the State's Attorney was recommending.
> 
> 
> 
> After accepting the guilty pleas of all 17 remaining defendants, each 
> defendant was allowed to make a statement before sentencing.  Many took the
> opportunity to speak out against Blackwater and gave reasons why they felt
> called to do civil disobedience.
> 
> 
> 
> New Hope Farm CW defendant, Mary Moody, 44, described coming to the 
> courthouse in February to meet with officials of the county and advise them
> of plans for the impending action.  “We shared information and acted with
> complete transparency. We followed our agreements. This is in stark contrast
> to Blackwater, a private corporation which trespasses in foreign nations,
> enters private homes and is alleged to have taken lives of innocent people.
> Blackwater violates its own contracts smuggling illegal weapons into and out
> of Iraq.  My plea is to all courts and to all citizens that the same
> transparency be demanded of these corporate criminals as is being demanded of
> us who stand before you today.”
> 
> 
> 
> Mona Shaw, 58, of the Des Moines CW said, “As I stand here, my heart is
> filled with regret.  Regret for every mother who holds a folded flag, regret
> for mothers who bury children for lack of healthcare or proper nutrition. I
> regret that we live in a moral climate where our leaders no longer work for
> us but rather serve Corporations.  We believe that the people have a heart
> and soul and that the day is coming when truth rather than lies will prevail.
> However, what I don’t regret is what I did last April 27 at the N IL
> Blackwater site”
> 
> 
> 
> Defendant, Laurel Noblette, 22, of the Champaign IL CW described her 
> motivation, “This action was a personal choice to intervene in the only
> non-violent way offered to me. We are community organizers, and we represent
> people without a voice. I accept the penalty in exchange for the opportunity
> to have you hear me say that Blackwater should be stopped.
> 
> 
> 
> Along with speaking out against Blackwater, and knowing that the Judge was
> inclined to fix a $250 sentence instead of any jail time, many of the
> defendants stated that as being members of Catholic Worker communities,
> living and serving the poor as volunteers, asked the Judge for leniency in
> any fines or penalties.
> 
> 
> 
> Two defendants; Frank Cordaro, 58, and Ed Boomer, 62, both Des Moines CWers,
> told the judge that they would refuse to pay any fines or court costs as a
> sign of solidarity with the poor.  Cordaro told Judge Ward, “As a sign of
> standing with the poor we serve, who when in similar situations end up going
> to jail, more often than not, for lack of money to pay their finds and court
> cost, I will refuse to pay any fines or court costs that may come with my
> sentence today.”
> 
> 
> 
> At the end of defendants' statements Judge Ward sentenced 15 of the 
> defendants, excluding Cordaro and Bloomer to pay court costs of $150 plus a
> punitive charge of $100. The judge told the defendants that the total fine of
> $250 must be paid on or before September 4, 2009, for the defendants to avoid
> further consequence. He also gave them six months unsupervised probation.
> 
> 
> 
> Turning his attention to Cordaro and Bloomer, the judge made note that he
> heard their stated refusal to pay any fines or court costs and subsequently
> warned them of unfavorable consequences should they fail to pay any of the
> penalties of their sentence. Then Judge Ward sentenced Cordaro and Bloomer to
> the same sentence he gave to the other 15 defendants.
> 
> 
> 
> The sentence given by Judge Ward, while seeming lenient, was still more than
> the minimum required by law. And, defendants were not permitted to perform
> community service in lieu of fine as some had requested.
> 
> -------------------------------------------------
> 
> Below list of the 17 defendants who plead guilty and sentenced to pay court
> costs of $150 plus a fine of $100 and were gave six month unsupervised
> probation.
> 
> Eric Anglada, LaMotte, IA, 29 yrs old - New Hope CW Farm Ed Bloomer, Des
> Moines CW, 61 yrs old Kenny Bishop, Champaign CW, 24 yrs old Frank Cordaro,
> Des Moines CW, 58 yrs old Tyler Chen, Champaign CW, 24 yrs old Elton Davis,
> Des Moines IA, 47 yrs old - former DMCW Chris Gaunt, Grinnell, IA, 52 yrs old
>  Carolyn Griffeth, St Louis CW, 36 yrs old Lee Jankowski, Dubuque, IA CW, 50
> yrs old Benjamin Johnson, Dubuque CW, 25 yrs old Chrissy Kirchhoefer, St
> Louis CW, 31 yrs old Mike Leutgeb Munson, Rockford MN, 26 yrs old - former
> Winona CW Mary Moody, LaMotte, IA, 44 yrs old - New Hope CW Farm Laurel
> Nobilette, Champaign CW, 22 yrs old Nick Pickrell, Kansas City CW, 27 yrs old
>  Mona Shaw, Des Moines CW, 57 yrs old Chris Watson, Champaign CW, 22 yrs old 
> Fred Turk, Rock Falls, IL, 71 yrs old
> 
> --------------------------------------------------
> 
> List of the 3 defendants who plead not guilty and were given a bench trial
> date of Sept 4th. Becky Lambert, Winona CW, 25 yrs old Don
> Thurstin-Timmerman, Park Falls WI, 67 yrs old - former Milwaukee CW Roberta
> Thurstin-Timmerman, Park Falls WI, 65 yrs old - former Milwaukee CW
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------
> 
> Michael Walli, Duluth CW, 60 yrs old plead not guilty and asked for a jury
> trial and a public defendant attonrey. Future court dates to be determined.
> 
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> For more info contact:
> 
> Frank Cordaro <frank.cordaro at gmail.com <mailto:frank.cordaro at gmail.com>> Phil
> Berrigan CW House 713 Indiana Avenue, Des Moines, IA  50314 (515) 282-4781
> www.DesMoinesCatholicWorker.org <http://www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/>
> 
> 
> 
> -------------------------
> 
> Jeremy Scahill interview on Bill Moyers Journal, June 5, 2009 
> http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06052009/profile.html
> 
> 
> Six minute youtube video of Jeremy Scahill's address the Stop Blackwater
> Conference and CW Resistance Retreat  - "a call to direct action" 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7lYqhyB8o&feature=channel_page 
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7lYqhyB8o&feature=channel_page>
> ...