Statement of the Epiphany Plowshares

EPIPHANY PLOWSHARES

On January 6, 1987 the Christian Feast of Epiphany, Greg Boertje, of the Trident II Pruning Hooks; Rev. Dexter Lanctot and Rev. Thomas McGann, priests of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia; and Lin Romano, an advocate for the poor from Washington, D.C.; entered the Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham, PA. Dividing into two groups, one group went to a Navy P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft - an essential part of the U.S. first-strike arsenal. Meanwhile the other group went to a Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion and an Army H-1 Huey helicopter - both integral parts of U.S. interventionary forces. Both groups hammered and poured blood on the aircraft and displayed banners which proclaimed: "Seek the Disarmed Christ" and "Espadas en Arados - Swords into Plowshares." The four left behind a statement which explained why they acted on Epiphany, the Christian feast that recalls the 3 Magi’s' search for the Christ child, "who came in the name of Peace." Having therefore addressed the "deadly connection" between nuclear weapons and military intervention, they also left an indictment of the US government for its criminal interventionary wars in Central America and the Middle East and its first-strike nuclear war-making policies. They were charged with conspiracy, destruction of government property and trespass - charges which carry up to 15 and 1/2 years. On March 31, they underwent a weeklong jury trial in Federal Court in Philadelphia and were prevented from presenting a crime prevention or necessity defense. 

For the first time in a Plowshares case, the trial ended in a hung jury and a mistrial. On May 11, 1987 they were retried. The defendants were once again denied their affirmative defenses and their testimony was even more severely restricted than in the first trial. Despite the constraints of the court, their trial once again ended in a hung jury and a mistrial. In an interview following the trial, one juror stated he believed the group  did not act with criminal intent and affirmed their efforts for disarmament. After the second trial the two priests, who were suspended from their priestly duties after the action, accepted a plea bargain, pled guilty to criminal trespass, and were sentenced to 100 days in federal prison plus $500 fines. Their suspensions were lifted following their release from prison. On July 13, 1987 a third trial began for Boertje and Romano. This trial ended in a mistrial when the judge ruled that the jury had been "contaminated" by statements from the defendants and spectators on such forbidden topics as international law. On September 21, 1987 a fourth trial began, with the judge's repressive "gag order" remaining in effect. During the trial, both defendants received two contempt charges and had lawyers appointed to represent them (defendants had been representing themselves). 

On September 25, 1987 they were found guilty of all three charges. On November 17, Lin was sentenced to 2 years and 100 days in prison plus 5 years probation. For reasons of conscience, Greg chose not to appear for sentencing. In a written public statement issued at the time of sentencing, Greg stated his intention to go "underground" and eventually emerge in another non-violent action. Following his trial, conviction and sentencing for the Nuclear Navy Plowshares action, Greg was sentenced to 33 months for failing to appear at the original sentencing for the Epiphany action. Lin, and then Greg, appealed their case from prison on the grounds that the judge violated their "pro se" rights when he appointed lawyers to represent them. They won the appeal and each was granted individual trials. Lin was eventually released from prison after serving nine months. In November 1988 her charges were reduced to trespass, whereby she was not entitled to a jury trial. She was tried before a U.S. Magistrate, convicted, and was sentenced to two years probation even though she had already served more jail time than the maximum sentence for trespass - six months. In April 1989 charges against Greg were dropped, though he still had to serve a 33-month sentence for failure to appear at sentencing. In July 1990, Greg was released from prison and placed on probation.