Jonah House logo
Banner

 

Reflections from Federal Prison

by Greg Boertje-Obed


Greg is serving time in federal prison in Duluth, Minnesota for pouring blood on and hammering on a thermonuclear missile silo in North Dakota.

“The religion of non-violence is not meant merely for the holy people and saints. It is meant for the common people as well….I have ventured to place before India the ancient law of self-sacrifice. For Satyagraha and its off-shoots, non-cooperation and civil resistance, are nothing but new names for the law of suffering.” M.K. Gandhi

Many people in prison support and understand our action of risking prison when we symbolically hammered on the nuclear missile silo in North Dakota. We called our action the Weapons of Mass Destruction Here Plowshares.

Prior to our action, Michael and I volunteered at the Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker and we helped by cleaning, cooking, making repairs, dealing with crises, listening, sharing reflections, and sometimes playing Scrabble or other games while doing house duty and answering the phone. Here we don't have to answer a phone or cook, but we find ourselves doing many of the same other activities. From our study of Jesuits and from our learning from Dan Berrigan, we are aware that sometimes Jesuits studied an area of expertise, such as astronomy, and then took that knowledge to a different region of the world, such as China, and used it to build relationships and to gain a foothold for sharing about their faith.

We have begun a similar process here with our interest in Scrabble. We are in awe of the high quality expert skills here, and the saying of Padre Pio “Humility is truth” keeps returning to us. We are finding that engaging in the game is a means of building community which leads to discussing other issues.

Some of the issues that arise include the urgent need for massive prison reform. Overcrowding and warehousing of inmates are serious problems here. Rooms which are about 10 feet by 15 feet are sometimes packed with 6 people. The close quarters often make it difficult to stay out of each other's way. The prison camp is said to be designed for 400-600 inmates, but about 900 are currently here. The city of Hermantown's zoning regulations are said to be violated by the high density of people here. Also, mold is reported to be a health problem in some buildings, and some say it is not being dealt with by state safety standards. Many people here are aware that the billions of funds that go to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could have been used instead for job-training or educational programs which could improve people's lives.

While Michael and I most of the time do not think of ourselves as sacrificing or suffering greatly, now and then other people mention those ideas to us. Some people thank us for the sacrifice we're making, and some tell others that we are sacrificing our freedom for the sake of everyone.

Sometimes when I hear these comments, the thought comes of Phil Berrigan saying that activists risk prison and separation from loved ones for the sake of providing enlightenment to those at the high levels of decision-making in our society. Phil would say that we are their hope, because we are speaking and enacting truth for their sake and welfare. We are also reminded that we took the risk of prison for the sake of judges, prosecutors, juries, and their children. Although our sentencing judge repeatedly disdained the value of our risking jail, we are aware that Jesus predicted that some people would not understand the witness of his followers, as his words and actions were not accepted. We pray for those who oppose our witness and hope that a change of conscience might occur in them some day.

Another Gandhi quote gives us hope is: “Non-violence in its dynamic condition means…the pitting of one's whole soul against the will of the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust Empire… and lay the foundation for that Empire's fall or its regeneration.” While what we do is very little, it can be part of the process of waking people up to the injustice of our U.S. empire which is not carrying out its treaty obligations to negotiate and pursue complete nuclear disarmament.

While our nation may collapse due to our oppressive dominance of the poor and other nations, a change and transformation leading to regeneration is also possible. The experiences we are gaining while here at the federal prison camp in Duluth cause us to ask everyone to stay informed on justice issues. Please strive to keep “in the know” about what our government is doing with prisoners and how our legal system has become a tool of the oppressors.