The Santa Fe New Mexican reported on the upcoming trial of nine peace activists who had the audacity to try to present a petition at Senator Domenici’s office.
They were cited by homeland security officials Sept. 26 after entering the federal building in Santa Fe to collect U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s signature on a Declaration of Peace calling for an immediate end to the war in Iraq. The group includes a 15-year-old high-school student, several retired people and a prominent Jesuit priest.
According to longtime peace activist John Dear, the Santa Fe Nine hope to put the war on trial in federal court. Dear said he is facing as much as six months in prison on the misdemeanor charge, but added, “I’m so notorious that you never know what will happen.”
These nine citizens of the United States, while attempting to communicate with the staff of their elected official, were confronted with the Santa Fe police force, the FBI, a SWAT team, federal marshals and Homeland Security Department officials. When they entered an elevator in the building, the power was shut off so the activists spent their time reading the names of American and Iraqi war dead.
They were finally arrested and face trail at 9 a.m. Jan. 25 in a second-floor courtroom of the federal building, 421 Gold Ave. SW, Albuquerque
There is something horribly wrong in our democracy when our elected officials and their staffs use police to intimidate and incarcerate constituents with dissenting points of view.
The Santa Fe Nine who posed such a horrible threat to Senator Domenici and his staff are as follows:
Philip Balcombe, 58, retired, Santa Fe
Sansi Coonan, 61, housewife, volunteer at St. Elizabeth shelter and the Boys and Girls Club, Santa Fe
John Dear, 47, Catholic priest, former pastor in Spring and Cimarron and author of more than 20 books on peace and nonviolence, Santa Fe
Bruno Keller, 65, retired, Santa Fe
Jan Lustig, 52, mother and activist, Santa Fe
Michella Marusa, 66, active member of Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community, Española
Jordan McKittrick, 15, high-school student, Santa Fe
Bud Ryan, co-coordinator of Pax Christi New Mexico and board member of St. Elizabeth shelter, Madrid
Ellie Voutselas, 69, mother, librarian, coordinator of Pax Christi Santa Fe, Santa Fe
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Please do what you can to publicize their plight. The police should not be used to stifle peaceful dissent. Our elected officials should not be using armed force against citizens of this country who wish to present views to their governmental representatives.
This is a disagrace.