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On January 25, 2010, Fr. Louie Vitale, Nancy Gwin and Ken Hayes were sentenced to 6 months, continuing the prison witness of more than 200 activists over the past 20 years to close the School of the Americas/WHINSEC, a U.S. Army training school for Latin American soldiers. Michael Walli, who had been arrested with them in November 2009 at Ft. Benning, Georgia, consciously did not return for his trial. Judge Faircloth issued a warrant for his arrest. Louie began his sentence right away at the Muscogee County Jail, and the next day was moved to the Crisp County Jail in nearby Cordele, Georgia. A month later, on February 25, he was moved to the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, a transportation hub for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and in mid-March was moved to another federal facility in Oklahoma. On March 26, Louie was moved to the federal prison in Lompoc, California. You can send a note of support to Louis Vitale #25803-048, FCI Lompoc, 3600 Guard Rd., Lompoc, CA 93436. He is scheduled to be released on July 24, 2010. Writings from Louie can be found at the Pace e Bene website by visiting http://paceebene.org/letters-louie. Nancy began her sentence on March 8, and Ken began his on March 16. You can write notes of support to Nancy Gwin, #94046-020, FCI Danbury, Rt. 37, Danbury, CT 06811 and Kenneth Hayes, #94045-020, FCI Ft. Worth, POB 15330, Ft. Worth, TX 76119. Michael Walli was arrested on March 2 at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Community in Washington, D.C. After 3 days in jail, he was released on his own recognizance pending a March 12 hearing. At the hearing, he rejected a plea agreement and was ordered to appear before Judge Faircloth in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Georgia by April 2. Please check http://soaw.org/article.php?id=1789 for updates. Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a Roman Catholic priest and the founder of SOA Watch, the organization that works to close the School of the Americas, said, "Judge Faircloth has sentenced our sister and brothers to 6 months in federal prison for speaking the truth about the SOA/WHINSEC. We are saddened by the court's continued blindness and hardness of heart, but we are stronger than ever in solidarity. These sentences are symbolic of our nation's misdirection, but they are also great steps forward for our resistance movement. It is truer today, than ever before, that although they jail the resisters they have not, and cannot, jail the resistance!"
Frs. Louie Vitale and Steve Kelly
RELEASED FROM PRISON ON MARCH 14, 2008 AFTER 5 MONTHS IN CUSTODY More Information Here
Betsy Lamb and Fr. Jerry Zawada
RELEASED FROM PRISON ON FEBRUARY 4, 2008 AFTER 2 MONTHS IN CUSTODY AWAITING TRIAL Read About Trial Here  Back to Main Page
|  Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Excerpt from Statement of the Franciscan Friars, Province of Saint Barbara Regarding the sentencing of Father Louis Vitale, OFM Striving to be a true follower of Saint Francis of Assisi throughout his 48 years as a Franciscan friar, Father Louie has been dedicated to peace, justice and the well-being of creation. In a world that suffers from violence and war, Father Louie has often engaged in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to promote these causes. Father Louie's nonviolent actions are motivated by the deep spiritual conviction that peace, justice and mercy are mandates of Christ, and such actions have a long and respected history in Christianity and many other religious traditions. (Read complete statement here) October 24, 2007 Excerpt from Letter of Provincial, California Province, Society of Jesus Guided by the Gospel mandate of peace and nonviolence, as well as the Ignatian commitment to a faith that does justice, Steve is no stranger to being imprisoned for speaking and acting out against institutions and mechanisms of violence. Steve's prophetic witness against nuclear proliferation and war-making speaks a Christ-like love for peace--a voice all too often drowned out and actively suppressed by the cultural and political powers that support violence and war. His incarceration provides a powerful point of reference for contemplating the truth of Holocaust historian Yehuda Bauer's famous line: "Thou shall not be a victim. Thou shall not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shall not be a bystander." (Read complete letter here) |