Hancock Show Trial #2: Vietnam Vet Drone Resister ACQUITTED!

Russell Brown
in front of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station
to protest the use of drones by the military.
photo: James Neiss

In the second of a string of "show trials" aimed at quashing First Amendment activity in Upstate New York, after two hours of deliberation,Vietnam Veteran and Buffalonian Russell Brown, was acquitted July 31 by a six person jury in DeWitt Town Court, East Syracuse. He was facing charges of Obstruction of Governmental Administration (OGA), a misdemeanor carrying up to a year incarceration and up to $1000 fine, as well as Disorderly Conduct charge, a violation. Brown, who went before the court Pro Se (he served as his own counsel, was assisted by Buffalo Attorneys Daire Irwin and Paul Fallon.

Russell Brown was arrested during a nonviolent protest at Hancock Air National Guard Base on April 28, 2013. In a roadway across from the Airbase, he lay down to symbolize the death of drone victims. There are biweekly demonstrations at Hancock Airbase. Several times a year there are larger demonstrations and nationally coordinated events. On six occasions there have been arrests, leading to six trials since 2011. Mr. Brown's trial is the second acquittal. There are twenty activists are facing prosecution, working with Upstate Drone Action.

During testimony, Brown told what he did leading up to the "Global April Days of Action" gathering in Syracuse. This included his writing a poem that links the drone attacks conducted at Hancock with the missions he conducted in Vietnam. A marine from 1965 - 1967, he told of the war he experienced. His participation in senseless killing and brutality in Vietnam informed his understanding of the Drone War Program at the 174th Attack Wing. Russell now finds allegiance with the victims of the drone attacks.

Laying on the street with "blood" spattered clothes lifted a weight of guilt from Brown. Transforming guilt to regret makes possible a voice: poet, marcher in a 'legal' protest, drone victim laying in the street were deemed protected speech. The message was closely attended by the jury. Brian Hynes said, "They saw the human power of the message and the public value of the method used to deliver it. Drones kill senselessly and illegally and traumatize our airmen."

Brown said that the wars of the last decade brought back his experiences in Vietnam. “Lying in that road was the most peaceful moment I've experienced since I left Vietnam,” he said. "I was silent then in the face of those atrocities and I can't be silent anymore."

The jury was smiling as they returned to give the verdict. Later one juror asked a supporter to "Thank Russell for us! My brother was in the Vietnam War and lost his leg. We know what the vets went through." The juror also acknowledged the PTSD drone pilots experience. Another juror said, "We did what was needed to be done. It was fair and just".


The Struggle to Publicize the Truth About Drone Killings Controlled from Hancock

Upstate Drone Action has been protesting the Drones at Hancock Base since 2009 with bimonthly vigils, annual rallies and a Gandhian Wave of civil resistance.

Because U.S. drone killings are carried out in secret -- and often never even acknowledged off-the-record -- activists at Upstate Drone Action and others around the country have been engaged in a sustained struggle to publicize the truth about the drone killings, bring about their cessation, and bring the killers to justice.

Legislation now pending in the U.S. Congress would require full disclosure of the details of the U.S. killing program, but as yet only ten (10) members of Congress have stepped forward to co-sponsor the legislation, and none of those are from New York State.

There are 10 more trials scheduled for Hancock protesters in DeWitt between now and next July stemming from the April 28 protest. Several more trials are pending. (In addition, Mary Anne Grady Flores was convicted of violating an Order of Protection by standing in the road in front of Hancock Base and was sentenced on July 9 to one year in prison.)


Related posts 

The trials of citizen activists in Upstate New York are part of a government plan to put a chill, once and for all, on citizens' exercise of Constitutional rights.  The citizens rely on Bill of Rights protections, Constitutional provisions about civilian control over the military, and the international treaties covering conduct of war and human rights, to which the United States is a party. The position of the government is that no dissent will be tolerated, and that the severity of the penalties for expression will be rapidly escalated, until the point where dissent is cut off entirely.

(See The Hancock Show Trials: Quashing Dissent Against America's Criminal Drone Killing Program )

As indicated above, the majority of the trials (including the first) stem from protests that occurred at the end of April, 2013.

(See April Days of Action Against Drones Culminates with a conference in SYRACUSE and a massive demonstration at Hancock AFB- 31 arrested )

The Hancock Show Trials: Quashing Dissent Against America's Criminal Drone Killing Program

A very important series of trials is proceeding in the coming weeks in a small court house in upstate New York.

These trials follow in a line of previous trials of peace activists who have been working to stop the commission of war crimes by the drone kill chain, part of which is based a Hancock Air Force Base.

What is particularly significant about the upcoming trials is that they are part of a government plan to put a chill, once and for all, on citizens' exercise of Constitutional rights.  The citizens rely on Bill of Rights protections, Constitutional provisions about civilian control over the military, and the international treaties covering conduct of war and human rights, to which the United States is a party. The position of the government is that no dissent will be tolerated, and that the severity of the penalties for expression will be rapidly escalated, until the point where dissent is cut off entirely.

On July 10, the government displayed its determination to crush anti-drones dissent by sentenching Mary Anne Grady Flores to one year in jail.

Please share this information and support these defendants and the right to dissent!

The Hancock Show Trials

Show Trial #1: Jack Gilroy

The trials taking place in July and August have been scheduled by the government one defendant at a time, presumably to maximize the cost to the defendants and to "make an example" of them. 

The trials listed below will take place at De Witt Town Court (5400 Butternut Dr., East Syracuse, New York).

Unless otherwise indicated, each is a Jury Trial for arrest during protest at Hancock Base, April 28, 2013, and charges include Obstructing Governmental Administration in the 2nd degree PL 195.05 sentence recommendation of 1 year in jail.

Trial dates and defendants are:

Show Trial #2: Russell Brown

July 14 and 15: Jack Gilroy (H31) Read about the show trial of Jack Gilroy.


July 29 and 30: Russell Brown (H31) Read about the show trial of Russell Brown.

 
August 11 and 12: Andrew Schoerke (H31)  Andrew Schoerke trial details.


September 8 and 9, 2014: Mark Colville

Charges stem from December 10, 2013 action when he joined with Creighton Chandler and Gregory Williams of Yale Divinity School to present an Order of Protection for the Children of Afghanistan at Hancock National Guard Base.  Colville is charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration, Disorderly Conduct and Contempt of Court in the 2nd Degree for ignoring his own Order of Protection which protects Col Earl A Evans, who is responsible for Material Support for the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Air National Guard Base. The OOP specified that he 'stay away' from Col. Evans' place of work, Hancock Base. Mark Colville trial details.


September 14 and 15, 2014: Eve Tetaz   Eve Tetaz trial details. 


November 7 and 8, 2014: Mary Snyder

The defendant is 87 years old.  Mary Snyder trial details.

 
December 10 and 11, 2014: Julianne Oldfield Julianne Oldfield trial details.


January 25 and 26, 2015: Bonnie Mahoney

Mahoney is acting Pro Se, i.e. defending herself. Bonnie Mahoney trial details.


March 10 - 12, 2015: Bev Rice, Joan Pleune, Jules Orkin, and Ellen Barfield

Consolidated Jury Trial: the defendants reside in New York City and Baltimore. Bev Rice, Joan Pleune, Jules Orkin, and Ellen Barfield trial details.



April 28 and 29, 2015: Cynthia Banas Cynthia Banas trial details.


May 27 and 29, 2015: Mary Loehr  Mary Loehr trial details.


June 11 and 12, 2015: Harry Murray

Murray is acting Pro Se, i.e. defending himself.  Harry Murray trial details.


Background information

As indicated above, the majority of the trials (including the first) stem from protests that occurred at the end of April, 2013. See April Days of Action Against Drones Culminates with a conference in SYRACUSE and a massive demonstration at Hancock AFB- 31 arrested:

Hancock Show Trial #1: Anti-Drone Protester Convicted of a Misdemeanor

Jack Gilroy

In the first of a string of "show trials" aimed at quashing First Amendment activity in Upstate New York, Jack Gilroy of Binghamton, NY, was convicted after a two-day jury trial in DeWitt Town Court yesterday. The charges stemmed from Gilroy's arrest during a nonviolent protest at Hancock Air National Guard Base on April 28, 2013.

Gilroy was convicted of Trespass, a violation, and Obstructing Governmental Administration, a misdemeanor by a jury of five women and one man. He will be sentenced by Judge Robert Jokl on October 1st, a year and a half after his arrest. The sentence for the latter charge may be up to one year in jail and a fine of $1000. Gilroy’s Order of Protection was also reissued today as a 2 year Permanent Order protecting Commander Greg Semmel, the commanding officer at Hancock Base.

Hancock Air National Guard Base, home of the 174th Attack Wing, is a domestic hub for MQ-9 Reaper drone support. It is a training site for pilots and technicians, a drone test location and an active site in the ongoing wars overseas. Heavily armed Reapers piloted at Hancock fly lethal missions over Afghanistan and possibly elsewhere. Hancock pilots also fly test flights from Fort Drum over Lake Ontario.

The Gilroy Trial

Jack Gilroy is a nationally prominent peace activist, writer, and educator, who has worked in numerous media to communicate the truth about drone killings to other Americans. Notably, Gilroy's  dramatic work, The Predator, has been performed by groups nationwide who are trying to engage in public education and debate about the wide-ranging challenges posed by drones, drone surveillance, and drone warfare.

At trial, Jack Gilroy testified that he joined the Army out of high school, and was stationed in Austria in the early '50s at a time when the Cold War was hot. He says that despite a climate of distrust and contempt towards Russians, when he actually had to look a young Russian soldier in the eye during a ceremonial event, he didn’t see the evil he’d been trained to expect. Since then, Gilroy has spent 30 years as a teacher. A member of Veterans for Peace and Peace Action New York, he is currently working with Peace Action at Binghamton University to convince the college to offer a Peace Studies Program.

Regarding the April 2013 protest, Gilroy testified that the boundaries of the base were unclear and unmarked at the time. He said his intention was to send a message to base personnel and the public, not to disrupt the operation of the base. Only one gate was affected by the symbolic die-in he participated in, which blocked the inbound lane of the access road. Jack was arrested and removed 30 seconds after lying in the road so he had little effect on potential base traffic.

The Struggle to Publicize the Truth About Drone Killings Controlled from Hancock

Upstate Drone Action has been protesting the Drones at Hancock Base since 2009 with bimonthly vigils, annual rallies and a Gandhian Wave of civil resistance.

Because U.S. drone killings are carried out in secret -- and often never even acknowledged off-the-record -- activists at Upstate Drone Action and others around the country have been engaged in a sustained struggle to publicize the truth about the drone killings, bring about their cessation, and bring the killers to justice.

Legislation now pending in the U.S. Congress would require full disclosure of the details of the U.S. killing program, but as yet only ten (10) members of Congress have stepped forward to co-sponsor the legislation, and none of those are from New York State.

There are 11 trials scheduled for Hancock protesters in DeWitt between now and next July stemming from the April 28 protest. Several more trials are pending. (In addition, Mary Anne Grady Flores was convicted of violating an Order of Protection by standing in the road in front of Hancock Base and was sentenced on July 9 to one year in prison.)  On July 30th and 31st Russell Brown will be tried pro se, serving as his own defense council, on the same charges Jack Gilroy faced today.


Related posts

The trials of citizen activists in Upstate New York are part of a government plan to put a chill, once and for all, on citizens' exercise of Constitutional rights.  The citizens rely on Bill of Rights protections, Constitutional provisions about civilian control over the military, and the international treaties covering conduct of war and human rights, to which the United States is a party. The position of the government is that no dissent will be tolerated, and that the severity of the penalties for expression will be rapidly escalated, until the point where dissent is cut off entirely.

(See The Hancock Show Trials: Quashing Dissent Against America's Criminal Drone Killing Program )

As indicated above, the majority of the trials (including the first) stem from protests that occurred at the end of April, 2013.

(See April Days of Action Against Drones Culminates with a conference in SYRACUSE and a massive demonstration at Hancock AFB- 31 arrested )

Protest over drones draws many after civil rights activist Cornel West energizes crowd in Syracuse

After speaking to a crowd of about 500 at Syracuse's Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, academic Cornel West joined upwards of 300 in a massive demonstration at the nearby Hancock AFB in the town of Dewitt, from which the 174th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard operates killer drones. Police and soldiers were present in large numbers, but no arrests were made.

Cornel West melted into the crowd, joining the People
 in speaking out against the drone atrocities being
 perpetrated at Hancock and elsewhere.

The theme of the protest was the delivery of a "People's Order of Protection" against all those complicit in U.S. drone terror. After West drew connections between racism, poverty, and drone killing, the Peoples' Order of Protection allowed those taking part in the protest to ally themselves with the victims of drone killing as part of a global 99%, standing up against murder and surveillance by the wealthy and powerful. It also made a mockery of the recent ludicrous abuse by Dewitt town judge Gideon of the Order of Protection against those engaging in peaceful protest at Hancock.

Demonstrators stood in vigil to remember
 those killed by U.S. drone strikes.

As West said: "We're seeing the unfolding of a movement in Syracuse to view drones -- which kill children especially -- as a crime against humanity," West said during the march. "It's a moral and spiritual awakening with political consequences."

Major sponsors of the event were the Syracuse Peace Council  and the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars.

Read more at PopularResistance.org

The Spring Days of Drone Action are in full swing!
 CLICK HERE to learn more.

Cornel West to Speak on Poverty, Racism, and Drones in Syracuse

Dr. Cornel West- “Connecting the Dots: Poverty, Racism and Drones”

April 27, 2014 at 2 pm (doors open at 1:30)

Tucker Missionary Baptist Church

515 Oakwood Ave, Syracuse, NY.

 The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars is pleased to present Dr. Cornel West, a prominent and provocative populist intellectual.  Dr. West will be speaking at the Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, in Syracuse, NY on the links between poverty, racism, and killer drones.  The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Cornel West will present:
 "Connecting the Dots: Poverty, Racism and Drones."

Following the talk we will have Rally and a short Walk to Hancock Air National Guard Drone base** themed "The People’s Orders of Protection Against Drone Terror".  The rally will begin at 4:30pm at the BOCES parking lot (6820 Thompson Rd, Syracuse, NY, near the east gate of the base.)

*Dr. Cornel West is a Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He has also taught at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. He has written 20 books and has edited 13. He is best known for his classics Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. - See more  here. 

"There is a cloud of witnesses that say that those innocent persons, especially the precious babies, who are killed by US drones in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen have exactly the same value as those priceless white children who were killed in Newtown, CT; as those black brothers and sisters in the south side of Chicago; brown brothers and sisters in barrios; red brothers and sisters on reservations; yellow brothers and sisters.  We are here to bear witness and to say we will not allow the kind of callousness toward catastrophe and indifference to criminality to become the norm and routine in America... We remember the legacy of Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Philip Berrigan, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Grace Boggs; these are names that constitute figures in movements that say, it's time to straighten our back up, it's time for us to try to awake our fellow citizens; No More Sleep Walking in America when it comes to  militarism, when it to comes to consumer market materialism, when it comes to racism, antisemitism, anti arab, anti muslim, homophobia any form of xenophobia, and most importantly when it comes to imperial crimes that emanate from Washington, DC around the world." 

                              -Dr. West, International Drone Summit.   Washington, DC  11/10/13

  

**Hancock Airfield is just outside of Syracuse, NY in the Town of Dewitt. It is the home of the 147th Attack Wing of the Air National Guard and the national maintenance and training center for the MQ9 Reaper drones. These drones are operated by remote control from the base, and are used to carry out attacks in Afghanistan and possibly other countries. Over the past 4 years there have been on- going demonstrations at the base by The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, an organization made up of groups from Upstate NY including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany, Ithaca and other towns.

For more info, visit The Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars

For Flyers, click here.

         

Syracuse: Carol Baum at the Syracuse Peace Council, (315) 472-5478

Rochester: Judy Bello, (585) 733-4058

Buffalo: Vicki Ross, (716) 884-0582

Ithaca: Ellen Grady, (607) 279-8303

Binghamton: Jim Clune (607) 773-0246

Sponsored by: The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars; The Syracuse Peace Council, The Buffalo Peace Center, The Ithaca Catholic Worker, etc.

The Spring Days of Drone Action continue! Click here to learn more about events nationwide!

April Days of Action Against Drones Culminates with a conference in SYRACUSE and a massive demonstration at Hancock AFB- 31 arrested

Following the Convergence to Action, a weekend of workshops, panels, and organizing meetings in Syracuse headed by the Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, nearly 300 activists came out to Hancock AFB on Sunday (4/28) in a massive demonstration that helped to cap the nationwide April Days of Action Against Drones, which included events all throughout the state.

Over 275 people marched in a solemn funeral
 procession to demand that Hancock Air National Guard
 Base cease drone strikes. 

People carrying banners and coffins identified countries
 where U.S. drone attacks have killed over a thousand innocent civilians.

Vivid reminder that many of the civilians
 killed by drone strikes are children.

Demonstrators came from all over the country to raise an outcry against the proliferation of drone strikes abroad, including in countries with whom the US is not "officially" at war. Drone use violates article 6 of the US Constitution as well as International Law. Demonstrators also objected to the militarization of the police and the growing domestic use of drones. The protesters raised the issue that drone use globally actually perpetuates terrorism by stoking anti-American sentiment.

"STOP KILLER DRONES"

Veterans for Peace played a significant role in the demonstration,
as it has throughout the April Days of Action Against Drones.

The history of  demonstrations against the use of
 drones at Hancock apparently created the
 perceived need for a large police presence.

An account by Bruce K. Gagnon describes what happened next:

"After we had moved to the base in a slow funeral procession four of us from Veterans For Peace (VFP) stood next to the yellow crime scene tape the military and the local police used to mark the point we were not allowed to pass without risk of arrest. 

"A large number of activists crossed this line and
 performed a die-in blocking the entrance to the base.
  They covered themselves in white sheets smeared in red."

"While a policeman was issuing a warning with a bullhorn
 the four of us from VFP began reading the names of children
 killed by US drone strikes in Pakistan."

  "Once we finished reading the names we stepped over the line
 and were quickly grabbed by the cops, handcuffed, and
 escorted to the waiting big black police bus."  

Demonstrators delivered a war crimes indictment to the base. It reads:

"We, the people, charge the US President, Barack Obama, and the full military chain of command, to Commander Colonel Greg Semmel, every drone crew, and service members at Hancock Air Base, with crimes against humanity, with violations of part of the Supreme Law of the Land, extrajudicial killings, violation of due process, wars of aggression, violation national sovereignty, and killing of innocent civilians."

Even with 31 demonstrators arrested, hundreds remained to
 deliver the message that "We STILL Will not be Complicit"
 in war crimes committed in the name of U.S. imperialism.

The thirty one arrestees were arraigned in De Witt Town Court before Judges Benack, Gideon, and Jokl, who imposed bails ranging from $500 - $3500, totalling $34,000. As Bruce Gagnon notes, the bails were punitively high and were accompanied by abusive treatment of those in jail and waiting for arraignment. Some of the defendants were released with appearance tickets   Others are refusing to post bail and will be held in jail until the next court date of May 7th & 8th.

Those Arrested:

Beth Adams, Levertt, MA

John Amidon, Albany, NY

Cynthia Banas, Vernon, NY

Ellen Barfield, Baltimore, MD

Russell Brown, Buffalo, NY

Kate De Mott Grady, Ithaca, NY

Beatrice Dewing, New York City, NY

Max Farhi, Ithaca, NY

Sandra Fessler, Rochester, NY

Daniel Finley, Ithaca, NY

Bruce Gagnon, Brunswick, ME

Jack Gilroy, Binghamton, NY

Charlie Heyn, Damascus, PA

John Honeck, Hamlin, NY

Rae Kramer, Syracuse, NY

Joanne Lingle, Indianapolis, IN

Mary Loehr, Ithaca, NY

Bonnie Mahoney, Buffalo, NY

Harry Murray, Rochester, NY

Valerie Niederhoffer, Buffalo, NY

Julienne Oldfield, Syracuse, NY

Jules Orkin, Bergenfield, NJ

Elizabeth Pappalardo, Crystal Lake, DE

Joan Pleune, Brooklyn, NY

Beverly Rice

Grace Ritter, Ithaca, NY

Matthew Ryden

Andrew Schoerke, Shaftsbury, VT

Mary Snyder, Johnson City, NY

Eve Tetaz, Washington, DC

Patricia Wieland, Northampton, MA

Donations may be sent to the Syracuse Peace Council, with checks made out to Syracuse Peace Council, note: Upstate Drone Action Bail Fund.  2013 E. Genessee St., Syracuse, NY 13210.

For more information:

Carol Baum, Syracuse Peace Council, 315-472-5478, 315-383-5738

Ellen Grady, Ithaca Catholic Worker, 607-279-8303

To see the report in local news, click here.
For video of the demonstrations, click here.

April Days of Action Against Drones are only the beginning of the fight against U.S. imperialism and the illegal killing that perpetuates it.

To get involved, check out the No Drones Network or subscribe to get e-mails about impending anti-drone actions.

Hancock AFB Commander requests "order of protection" from anti-drone activists

The truth hurts. At least, apparently for Colonel Earl Evans, commander of the Hancock Air National Guard Base in DeWitt. As reported by the Syracuse Post-Standard, Col. Evans has applied for and been granted a restraining order against 17 anti-drone peace activists from the Syracuse area, in retaliation for their peaceful demonstrations against the civilian carnage resulting in countries around the world from U.S. drone strikes.

Col. Evans has requested protection from 17 activists against
 their approaching Hancock AFB to protest its role as a drone
 base; a luxury unavailable to people whose lives are
threatened by drones piloted under Evans' command.

This move by Evans comes in the wake of ongoing demonstrations across the street from the base, and a recent protest in which 37 activists were arrested for blocking one of the base's gates. As noted by local drone resister John Hamilton, the irony is palpable:

 "Clearly the intent is to keep us away from his ‘place of employment’, the military base.  However, he is a government official, and the first amendment doesn’t say, ‘you can petition your government once… and after that it’s a felony.’

This is of course a pure perversion of the restraining order laws, and therefore illegal in itself.  Judge Benack, who issued these, and Judge Jokl who is enforcing them should, and soon will be ashamed of themselves.

Having the full force of the $700 billion a year US military to protect him is, apparently, to our trembling commander, but a weak shadow.  The plaintiff commander also requires the full force of the sheriff’s department, and the local courts to let him sleep easy.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it, why his sleep is so fitful and his days troubled.  Makes you wonder why he’s so frightened of peaceful us citizens who stand before him only with signs and truth.

The killer  drones this commander commands are actually completely illegal, immoral, and are, according to the UN, undermining all  human law, by ignoring laws against extrajudicial  (outside the law) killings.  These are very serious offenses against common sense and common morality. Indeed as law-abiding citizens we are required by US law, customary international law, and the long established Nuremberg principles, to stop these illegal activities wherever they occur."

Local activists targeted by the order have filed a lawsuit in the state supreme court against Donald Benack, Jr. and Robert Jokl, Jr., the DeWitt judges who made the choice to threaten these citizens with felony charges for exercising their first amendment rights in protesting the unjust and illegal killing being perpetrated by drones in the name of the "war on terror."

Demonstrators peacefully submit to arrest after blocking the
 gate at Hancock Air National Guard Base.

April Days of Action Against Drones continue with the Convergence for Action and Inspiration against drone warfare in Syracuse this weekend. which will conclude with a return to demonstrate at the gates of Hancock Air National Guard Base!