Works In Progress - February 2006 - Seventeen people arrested honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Trident submarine base at Bangor, WA

PRESS RELEASE - Eighty-five people were present at the demonstration commemorating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks at the gates of Naval Submarine Base Bangor on January 15th. Sixteen demonstrators blocked the highway entrance into the base. One demonstrator was arrested on federal property.

At 1 PM on Sunday, January 15, demonstrators walked from the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action to the entrance of the Naval Submarine Base at Bangor. Ten demonstrators then took a replica of a bus in honor of Rosa Parks onto the highway, which stated, "Dare to Create a Nonviolent World." After the ten were arrested, six more demonstrators blocked the highway with a long banner with statements by Dr. King, including one stating, "When scientific power outruns moral power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men . . . " During this time, one demonstrator attempted to deliver a message to the base commander and was arrested on federal property. Incoming traffic was blocked for approximately 30 minutes.

The Trident submarine base at Bangor is located twenty miles west of Seattle. It is the last active nuclear weapons depot on the West Coast and is the place of deployment for approximately 1,760 nuclear warheads. The base has been recently rebuilt for the deployment of the larger and more accurate Trident D-5 missile system.

Each of the twenty-four D-5 missiles on a Trident submarine is capable of carrying eight of the larger 455 kiloton W-88 warheads (about 30 times the explosive force as the Hiroshima bomb.) Four older Trident submarines from the Bangor fleet are being refitted for the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles. Each of the older submarines will be able to launch 154 cruise missiles within a six minute period.

Arrested by base security: Tom Krebsbach, 55 of Brier, Washington.

Those arrested by Kitsap County Sheriffs: Joy Goldstein, 70, of Vashon; Alex Daye, 25, Katrina Olthof, 19, Jody Tiller, 39, Ray Kelleher, 53, Tim Russell, 40, and Jennifer Olson, 36, of Olympia; Larry Kerschner, 59, of Pe Ell; Roger Thorson, 60, of Carnation; Ellen Kohjima, 55, and Fr. Bill Bichsel, 77, of Tacoma; and Rev. Anne Hall, 60, David Hall, 59, Mary Hanson, 59, Dorli Rainey, 78, and Glen Milner, 54, of Seattle.

Tom Krebsbach, arrested on Navy base property, was given a letter barring him from entering Naval Submarine Base Bangor and released. In addition, Krebsbach was given a citation for trespass. If Krebsbach is prosecuted, it would be the first time a demonstrator would appear in federal court for a first offense on Navy property.

The 16 arrested by Kitsap County Sheriffs were booked and later released in Port Orchard.

The Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action was founded in 1977. The center is on 3.8 acres and is next to the Trident submarine base at Bangor, Washington. The Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action offers the opportunity to explore the root of violence and injustice in our world and to experience the transforming power of love through nonviolent direct action. We resist all nuclear weapons, especially the Trident submarine system.

In December 2005, four Ground Zero activists were arraigned in Kitsap County Court for an August 8, 2005 demonstration in which 19 peace activists were arrested at the Trident submarine base. The Kitsap County prosecutor has charged only four of the nineteen demonstrators; all four are from Olympia, Washington. The charge is for the failure to disperse, RCW 9A.84.020, in which the failure to disperse when ordered creates a "substantial risk" of injury to persons or to property. The charge is a misdemeanor with a possible penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

It appears that the prosecutors have not yet made a decision as to whether to charge all or some of the remaining fifteen, and may be waiting to see how the community responds to the trial of the first four. The trial date for the four who were charged is scheduled for April 10, 2006 at the Port Orchard District Court.

The next planned nonviolent direct action at Bangor will be in commemoration of Mother's Day in May 2006.

Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action

16159 Clear Creek Road NW Poulsbo, WA 98370

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

Contact: Anne Hall or David Hall (206) 545-3562

Karol Milner or Glen Milner (206) 365-7865