Reporting and court photos by Mary Gleysteen
Four people cited in a Mother’s Day weekend demonstration at the Trident nuclear submarine base at Bangor, Washington appeared before a judge in Kitsap District Court on July 27th.
Five activists had entered the highway on May 8th carrying two large banners stating,“CONGRESS WANTS $1 TRILLION FOR NUKES–What will be left for our children” and “TRIDENT THREATENS ALL LIFE ON EARTH” and blocked all incoming traffic at the Main Gate at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor for about 20 minutes before they were removed from the highway by the Washington State Patrol. They were cited for violating RCW 46.61.250, Pedestrians on roadways, and released at the scene.
Those cited were Brenda McMillan and Caroline Wildflower of Port Townsend; Sue Ablao of Bremerton; Elizabeth Murray of Poulsbo; and Michael “Firefly” Siptroth of Belfair. All but Ablao appeared in court on July 27th.
Wildflower, Siptroth, McMillan and Murray gave testimony before Kitsap County District Court Judge Timothy A Drury explaining why they stood in the roadway leading to the Trident Submarine Base at Bangor on the day before Mothers Day 2021.
Wildflower testified that she has lived in the shadow of nuclear weapons her entire life and for most of her life has worked for their abolition. In holding the banner reading “The Earth is Our Mother” she honored the pacifist intent of the original Mothers Day and acted for the sake of everyone in the world, saying that appearing in court was one thing she could do to bring attention to the importance of avoiding discharge of another nuclear weapon. 
Siptroth spoke of his efforts to engage with elected officials, urging them to cut nuclear weapons spending and his frustration at being ignored. He talked about the many human needs that are being neglected in this country that could be met with the money spent on nuclear weapons and of the true national security that would provide. His testimony included the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and other international agreements. In conclusion Siptroth asked Judge Drury as a person sworn to uphold the law to join him in looking deeply to see how we all are responsible for upholding international law.
McMillan asked the court to consider the danger of nuclear accidents, citing the leaks at Hanford to the sinking of the submarine Thresher and spoke of the need to eliminate the possibility of such future “accidents” which are in fact disasters of devastating proportions.
Murray told the court that nuclear weapons are not only illegal, but morally reprehensible and evil. She pointed out other institutions of American life such as slavery, which was once legal, saying that laws changes but right and wrong do not and that we are called to follow a higher moral conscience.
Judge Drury thanked each of the defendants, applauded them for being willing to speak their mind, pointed out that they had not contested the infraction for which they were charged and reduced their fines to $25.
