Judge reduces fines for activists who blocked Bangor gate in August

Editor’s Note: Thanks to the Port Townsend Leader for the following story on yesterday’s hearings in Kitsap District Court where resisters, who were cited by the State Patrol at Ground Zero’s August vigil and nonviolent direct action, had mitigation hearings before a judge. Although not mentioned in this article, Mack Johnson and Michael Siptroth also appeared in court on October 28th and had their fines reduced.

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Kitsap judge reduces fines for PT residents who blocked Naval Base-Kitsap Bangor gate in August

By Nicholas Johnson, Port Townsend Leader, October 28, 2015

Two Port Townsend residents who were cited in August after blocking an entrance to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor during a demonstration against nuclear weapons proliferation say a Kitsap County judge was “very sympathetic” upon reducing their fines.

Douglas Milholland, 66, and Brenda McMillan, 81, both of Port Townsend, said they appeared Oct. 27 in Kitsap County District Court where Judge Stephen Olsen reduced each of their $63 fines to $25.

photo by Glen Milner, Ground Zero Center

photo by Glen Milner, Ground Zero Center

Milholland and McMillan were among some 11 demonstrators cited and released Aug. 10 during a demonstration organized by the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action of Poulsbo, Washington.

Also, Ann Kittredge, 57, of Quilcene was cited that day with trespassing on military property by Navy security personnel after she and seven others walked onto the base to stage a die-in while blocking the roadway.

Photo by Glen Milner, Ground Zero Center

Photo by Glen Milner, Ground Zero Center

The demonstration was intended to draw attention to the continued deployment and modernization of the U.S. Navy’s Trident nuclear weapons system, according to organizers. It also commemorated the 70th anniversary of the United States’ atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which led to the end of World War II.

Source URL:  http://www.ptleader.com/news/kitsap-judge-reduces-fines-for-pt-residents-who-blocked-naval/article_7b8a9490-7dc0-11e5-8a47-3f2b6adab1b1.html  

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