Susan Crane and Steve Kelly
by Jubilee Plowshares West
Sentencing for Susan Crane and Fr. Steve Kelly is to take place on March 13, so it may have already happened by the time you read this. Their sentences could be long; they are facing up to 15 years in prison for their August action designed to bring attention to continued production of weapons of mass destruction by a nation that desperately needs the resources for a plethora of social shortfalls in the areas of health care, child welfare, education, social services, infrastructure and so on through a long list.
The action consisted of entering the Lockheed-Martin Marietta weapons production facility in Sunnyvale, CA and damaging two Trident-511 nuclear missile components with hammers and blood. After committing their crime, the two knelt and prayed until security, summoned at Susan's suggestion, arrived to make arrests. They have since undergone incarceration and trials in which their defense of moral necessity, only partially allowed by Judge James Ware, was of no avail as the judge narrowly restricted the jury's options to the undisputed facts in the case. The jury took only fifteen minutes to reach guilty verdicts.
For information on how to contact Susan Crane and Fr. Steve Kelly or otherwise demonstrate support contact Magdalene House or Maylie Scott at 510-848-2924.
(Addendum: As we prepare to go to press, we have received word that the sentencing of March 13th resulted 10 month sentences for Susan and Steve. They have already served 7 months, so must serve another 3 months until their release. In addition, the pair were sentenced to 2 years of supervised probation and $100 court fine. They were not required to make restitution for the nearly $400,000 worth of damage the government claimed was done to the missile parts. Supporters were pleased that the pair were spared long and harsh punishments.)
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1997
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited