Tues. May 23, 1978
Howdy Folks,
Just thought I would write you a letter on all of the things still happening.
I'm still in jail. Our appeal of the bond condition was turned down. However the appeal judge did say that the county judge was incorrect when he stated that if one violated the bail restriction (i.e. going back to the tracks), he would be subject to contempt of court. My plan at this point is to stay in jail until our arraignment Saturday, May 27 and then bail out. This is still just a base plan and is subject to change.
If I do bail out at that time I will probably be home for a couple of days around the first of June and from there I would go to Phil's place for a week or so, then back to Colorado hopefully by the 14th (the 14th is the approximate date for the start of the research).
About the Peugeot Dad, I would like to know what the shop or the insurance company (or whatever) thinks it's worth. I'm sure I could take care of the valves for under $100. If the shop estimated $198, that means I could probably do it for under $75, but I would have to check it out. I am interested in it.
Now for news of the demonstration (or actually it's better called a "Non-violent Direct Action"). There have been people occupying the railroad tracks into Rocky Flats almost continuously since April 29th. The time schedule is something like this.
Sat. April 29 Massive legal demonstration (Approx. 5000 demonstrators). Evening, 130 or so pretrained demonstrators (including me) cross a fence and start first occupation. Rockwell and the DDE (Dept of Energy) were previously told that a one night and day civil disobedience involving the symbolic blockade of the railroad tracks would happen at the end of the demonstration. Later in the evening the temperature dropped and it started to rain very heavily; only one tent for first aid was brought. At this point there was a massive influx of doctors, hot tea, and dry clothes that continued through the night. (I slept between the rails under a sheet of plastic with two other people. I was able to stay relatively dry and warm).
Sun. April 30 Morning, a meeting is held with the survivors who decide by consensus that those people who can and choose to should remain on the tracks. I chose to stay along with approximately 30 other people (Dan Ellsberg among us). Support people on the outside continue to bring in food, tents, dry clothes, sleeping-bags, etc. The rain continues. We stay in communication with Rockwell security, informing thorn that we plan to stay at least through Carter's visit to Colorado on May 3.
Mon. May 1 The rotten weather continues with spots of rain to spots of sun and quickly varying temperatures. Peter Ediger, a Mennonite minister returns. After leaving Sunday morning he informs us that he wanted to stay but felt he had to discuss it with members of his congregation. They informed him that he had their support to return. He also informs us that he was invited to a closed multiclerical-national prayer service with Pres. Carter Thursday morning. There are large amounts of press starting to wander around. Our time is spent with meetings, press statements and, all importantly, group circles of singing, meditation and prayer. People in the group are starting to get amazed at the fact that this is a very mixed group of people and yet there have been no conflicts. In the group there were a Mennonite minister, a dentist, an ex-war strategist (Dan), Catholic workers from Iowa (they were supposed to stay here as support for someone 'till the 29th and leave the 30th, they're still here), some mountain people from Telluride, Colo. and Wash. state, some musicians, "Sixties Children", some local residents and a few students. People start making large sacrifices just to stay on the tracks. Jobs are lost, a man gives up going to medical school this semester, one girl from Michigan missed a week of final exams because she felt she had to stay.
Tues. May 2 A man named Paul informs the group that he has been invited to a closed (P.R.) meeting with Pres. Carter because he is an employee of S.E.R.I. (Solar Energy Research Institute). Weather continues to be off and on. More meetings, more press, more circles.
Wed. May 3 Paul meets Pres. Carter and informs him that Paul is one of the people on the tracks and that we support Carter's deferment of production on the neutron bomb and that we hope it is permanent; and that we do support his campaign pledge to work toward the abolition of all nuclear weapons. Carter thanks Paul for his support. Meanwhile on the tracks, more meetings, more press, more circles, and more rain. We send two people to Carter's hotel in Denver on the remote possibility that they could talk to Washington press and deliver a letter to Pres. Carter that the group had jointly written. They came back at night to tell us that one of them shook Carter's hand and delivered the letter. (He held out the letter, Carter reached for it and then said, "He'll take it." Whereupon one of Carter's bodyguards took the letter.) At the same time in another part of the building the other representative of our group met Sen. Flood Haskell and asked him if he would give it to Carter. He read it, smiled, and said, "You can bet your life I will." A little later the one who shook Pres. Carter's hand and gave him the letter found a room set up as an office where a lot of press was hanging out. He walked in and sat down on a couch and started talking to someone else on the couch. It was Jodi Powell. They talked for about fifteen minutes about nukes in general and about disarmament.
Thurs. May 4 Right near the end of Carter's prayer speech at the morning worship service Peter Ediger stands up and starts reading a prayer he had earlier handed out. Everyone at the tracks had heard it the day before when Peter had read it to us for our approval. Carter wrapped up his speech and soft music came on. Secret Service men came up and hauled Peter away. As soon as Peter couldn't read any more, Jean Zimmerman stood up and continued reading. (She's a housewife who has been supporting us from the beginning.) The Secret Service couldn't find a way to touch her so they took her copy of the prayer. With that Frank (one of the Catholic workers) stood up and continued reading. A gray-haired old pastor started beating Frank with his fists. Then Jackie (another Catholic worker) stood up and no one touched her as she finished reading the prayer. The Secret Service let all of them stay throughout the service and only detained Peter for a little while.
Peter's Prayer
To: President Carter, Gov. Lamm and guests at the Inter-Faith Breakfast
From: The Rocky Flats Inter-Faith Truth Force on the railroad tracks into Rocky Flats
Greetings: We join you in prayer this morning. We pray the prayer of hope of the prophet Isaiah: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." Today we invite you to join with us in translating that prayer into our time, into our place: "They shall convert their bombs into bread and butter and their Rocky Flats weapons manufacturing into production for human needs." Today we are mindful of Isaiah's, warning: "Even though you make many prayers I will not listen, your hands are full of blood." We invite you to join with us in a prayer of repentance, remembering the words of Chronicles: "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Today we pray in the name of Jesus: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." We invite you to join with us in seeking to live out the faith that the Kingdom of God comes: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord." Amen.
Thurs. May 4 (con't) We decide by consensus to stay at least until may 27th, the date of the Mass rally at the United Nations. It starts to snow, heavily. We notify Rockwell Security of our decision.
Fri. May 5 Jefferson County police show up. We are arrested in the morning. The group is taken to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds for mass processing. Spirits on both sides, demonstrators and police, are high. There is no animosity between groups. The police never search us. There is no checking of ID's, and the police are accepting "John Doe" as names and "Planet Earth" as addresses for the few people who don't choose to use their own names. (I used my real name.) While we are being processed Roy Young is brought in under arrest. He had heard that we were being arrested while he was out running errands in town. He drove to the tracks and entered the area posing as a photographer. He then sat on the tracks and was arrested. Later in the day a man named John, who heard about the arrests when he was temporarily off the tracks, came back to the tracks. There was a Rockwell Security guard at our original entrance to the area. John explained to him that he was with our group and it was his responsibility to occupy the tracks, and would they please let him by. The security didn't know what to do so they finally let him go sit on the tracks. They then called Jefferson County and the Jefferson County police arrested him. We were all released on P.R. bond (Personal Recognizance) and given May 27th as our arraignment date. After we were let out we all met back at St. Thomas Aquinas Church where the support people had taken all of our stuff. A meeting there decided that we should continue in some form. P. J. tells us that we can set up a temporary office in the rectory if we would like to. (P. J. is one of the priests at St. Thomas'.)
Sat. May 6 Amid rumor that there might be a train soon we decide that a reoccupation should go out on Sunday. Somehow the word leaks out and the press (and Rockwell) know. I decide to stay and work support. Meetings going on all day. It is still snowing. Sister Donna comes in and tells us that the staff at St. Thomas has decided to let us use a house that they call their "Religious Education Center" until May 29th.
Sun. May 7 2nd Occupation Group leaves in the morning. Security is guarding the access road. Group jumps fence, walks, skis, and snowshoes 1/4 mile through 6-12 inchesof snow. Camp is set up. Dan talks for a couple of hours on the Single Integrated Operations Plan (SIOP). Our "defense" plan in case of any nuclear operations on the part of the Russians or the Chinese involved the nuclear destruction of every major city in the USSR and China; and the fall-out would wipe out Korea and Japan, the most interesting note being the Pentagon told Kennedy it was only “military and industrial targets". Every major city meant any city with over 100,000 people in it. It's been obsolete since '62 or '63.(Thank God, but who knows what's in it's place?) That night there were over 70 mph winds and more snow.
Mon. May 8 Visitors out on the tracks. (I came out to the tracks for a couple of hours. The information about the second occupation is second hand). Larry Land comes by and tells his own personal horror story. He used to own a farm or ranch near Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Rocky Mountain Arsenal had a near gas leak that contaminated his water. It killed all of his cattle and poisoned his family and ranch hand. All of his children's teeth fell out, and he and his wife and the ranch hand all sustained so much damage to their livers that a doctor told them that they were all slowly dying. An analysis of his children's blood led one doctor to say that his children have no biological reason to still be alive. This happened to him and his family in 1972. Since then, he and his wife have had one more child (they no longer live on the ranch) that is completely normal. He has been suing the federal government and Gulf Oil for years and hasn't received anything. Since he started suing, however, he has been shot at twice and run off the road (at bridge abutments), four times from '72 to '74. In 1974 his attorney went into court without his permission and said they could dismiss the case with or without prejudice. (With prejudice means it can't be refiled.) Gulf requested the case be dismissed with prejudice, whereupon his attorney disappeared and hasn't been heard from since.
At approximately 6:00 in the evening (While I was visiting) a train came caboose end first, stopped before coming to the demonstrators, and unloaded enough Jefferson Co. Police to arrest all those on the tracks. I hung out to take pictures and help carry equipment.
Almost immediately after this set of arrests, three more people snuck out to occupy the tracks. The train had gotten through but it was to be stopped three more times on its way out.
A high school girl named Marion and her mother went onto the tracks in the area of the third occupation and waited. A little later Scott, one of the people I am in jail with, went back to the site of the second occupation. He thought there might be others out there so he yelled but he heard no replies. Not knowing what to do, he started walking toward the plant. He saw a bunch of railroad ties along the side of the track so he started piling them on the track, "to keep warm", he said. After putting a large number of ties on a pile on the rails he started to walk toward the plant again. When he reached the site of the first occupation he met, lo and behold, a train. He stood in the middle of the tracks and said, "Stop! I am a member of the Rocky Flats Truth Force and this train does not have my permission to pass on these tracks." The train stopped and while they were trying to figure out what to do Scott started putting more ties on the tracks. By the time he was finally taken into custody he had a stack of about 25 railroad ties in front of the train. He was eventually put in a van to be taken to the Jeff. Co. Sheriff's Dept. While in the van he heard over one of the officer's two—way radios, "The train is stopped again. There is a pile of about 20 railroad ties in front of it". "30", Scott said under his breath.
Soon after they had cleared the tracks of Scott's second pile of railroad ties and the train started rolling again it came upon Marion and her mother. Marion and her mother held hands and sang while they walked on the track towards the approaching train. At a certain point they sat down on the tracks. The train stopped three feet in front of them. They soon joined Scott in the van on the way to the Sheriff's Dept.
Tues. May 9 All of the first offenders in the second bust were released on personal recognizance (a little over half the group). The rest, except for one, spent the night in jail and were released on various kinds of signature bonds after a bond hearing in the morning. Jay, the one who stayed, said he didn't believe in the bail system and would stay in jail to help guide those yet to be arrested when they were.
More meetings to decide next plan of action. It is proposed that we have a public forum so that Dan can speak and the group can say what we're about and answer questions. People volunteer to work on finding a place tentatively for Thursday night the 11th.
Wed. May 10 (Happy birthday Dad) More meetings next plan of action is to be. We hear that there is a small group from the Greenpeace Foundation L. A. office who should be here Thursday to join the next occupation. Greenpeace is the group famous for the "Save the seals" and "Save the whales" campaigns. We decide to get a group ready to go as soon as possible. Boulder High says we can probably use their auditorium for our talk. So we inform the press.
Thurs. May 11 Three Greenpeace folks arrive, they are press specialists offering all the help they can. We decide to go on the third occupation starting Friday morning. Meetings all day making arrangements for our talk and next occupation. I decide to go on this one.
The talk at Boulder High goes great. Approximately 300 people show to listen and talk for the community (not bad for one day of advertising).
Fri. May 12 We get on the tracts at Highway 72 and start walking toward the plant. After walking a while we are met by Rockwell Security in an automobile that can also run on rails. Interestingly, they were deputized by the county and could now hold us themselves. We sat on the tracks and celebrated Dan's son's one year old birthday. A little later the Jefferson County police showed up and we were arrested. A bond hearing was held that afternoon for the three third-time offenders. Bond was set at $5000, plus a condition that the bonder cannot return to the tracks. But if they promised not to go back the judge would reduce bond to $2500. The second-timers got the same thing, but it was $2500 or $500. There were four second-timers, including me. The first-timers got $500 or P.R. (there were seven of them). After most of us refused the condition (only five bailed out right away), we sat in Jefferson County jail for a couple of hours. The jail's been condemned but they are going to keep using it until they build a new one. We then were transferred to Clear Creek County jail. It's brand new so at least it's clean.
The rest of the events are mostly second-hand information.
Sun. May 14 New civil disobedience training in late morning. The fourth occupation starts in the afternoon with an ecumenical Mother’s Day worship service on the tracks. 128 people are there for the service and approximately 30 people stay in the fourth occupation.
Mon. May 15 (Happy Mother’s Day) A bunch of people came and visited us.
Wed. May 17 More visitors. Dan posts bail to speak around the country.
Thurs. May 18 Dan debates weapons specialists from Livermore Labs in California.
Fri. May 19 A large group of high school students and their parents went to the railroad tracks to join the group already there.
Sat. May 20 (Happy Birthday Jim)
Sun. May 21 (Trident Demonstration) Another worship service on the tracks, this time with close to one hundred people.
Mon. May 22 (Trident mass civil disobedience in Bangor, Wash.) We go to court in Golden, location of Jefferson Co. Sheriff's Dept. appealing our bond condition. We lost our appeal and were brought back to Clear Creek Co. jail.
Tues. May 23 (Today) Fourth occupation gets busted (found out in the middle of letter). Four of them were sent up here, they just got here. I don't think they will be put in our cell block since it is full. Future action already planned that I know of.
Thurs. May 25 Dan should return to jail after a week of lectures.
Fri. May 26 Alternative graduation ceremony on the tracks.
Sat. May 27 Morning vigil outside the courthouse during our arraignment. Evening, new protest on the tracks. Massive demonstration at United Nations.
June 12 Massive occupation, United States mission to U.N.
June 24 Massive occupation of the proposed Seabrook Power plant in New Hampshire.
Aug. 6 Diablo Canyon occupation, Arizona. Hiroshima Day nation-wide.
And it will continue!
Well, I started out planning to give you a short note on what has happened and even a brief description, and it's taken 15 pages. Now that I have spent all this time writing all of this down, I wonder if you could get this copied (since it's on yellow paper it has to be done specially) or, if possible Dad, could you type it for me so I could have a copy of all this. I'd also love it if you could send copies to the rest of the family.
I love you all,
Steve
P.S. If you can get me a copy of this letter, send it to my Boulder address, thanks.
