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Judge Denies Three Grand Rapids Dominicans Change in Parole Status


NEWS about our sisters Judith, OP, Carol, OP, Jackie, OP. They have received the court order.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." MLK, Jr.

NEWS about our sisters Judith, OP, Carol, OP, Jackie, OP. They have received the court order


"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." MLK, Jr.


Jackie Hudson writes:


ORDERS IN YOUR CASE – Sacred Earth and Space Plowshares II, 2002


The judge has finally ruled in our case.


On November 8, 2005 Judge Blackburn ordered Carol, Ardeth and myself to "submit a plan for community service in lieu of restitution." We submitted the "alternative restitution" documentation that so many of you sent to me which came to almost $600,000.00 plus documentation of our combined prison work and services provided since release and the fact that the court had declared us indigent at time of trial.


Judge Blackburn in the November 8, 2005 order stated "that depending on defendant's community service plan and the government's response, I shall rule on the papers or schedule appropriate in-court proceedings."


Well after almost a full year, during which the three of us have tried multiple ways to receive a response, including a trip to Denver, the judge has ruled.


We have received Court Orders entered 10/19/06 in federal court in Denver, CO as follows:


1. Order denying motion to terminate supervised release - (signed by Judge Blackburn 10-18-06); - (after one year you can submit a request for termination of supervised release)


2. Order rejecting and denying Defendants' Joint Plan of Performance of Community Service in Lieu of Restitution and Joint Motion to Rescind Requirement of Supervised Release and


Order denying Motion for Credit of In Kind Payment in Lieu of Restitution (signed by Judge Blackburn 10-18-06).


Our status at present denies each of us the opportunity to travel for any reason outside our immediate federal court districts. This includes travel to visit family, attend congregational meetings, accept speaking engagements etc. Carol and Ardeth are limited to the state of Maryland and I am restricted to the western half of the state of Washington.


We remain under the supervision of local probation officers and under the supervision of our mutual probation officer in Denver, CO. Monthly reports must be submitted locally and regular visits are made by the local officer to our homes


Please send your prayers, light and energy our way as we discern our next steps.
We are extremely grateful for your continued support.


The DVD “Conviction” continues to receive “rave” reviews………if you have not seen it yet, it is available from: Zero to Sixty Productions,

PO Box 1027, Boulder, CO 80306
or on line at: www.ztsp.org

Be assured of our prayers as the struggle for a just and peaceful planet continues,


Jackie Hudson, OP Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert

 Nuns defy order to return to Maryland By Mike McPhee
Denver Post Staff Writer Article Last Updated:11/16/2006 12:31:16 PM MST
Two Catholic nuns, protesting the government's use of nuclear weapons, say they will defy an order to return to a federal probation office in Baltimore, MD, by Friday morning.

Instead, they will remain in Denver collecting food donations they plan to use in lieu of the $3,082 in restitution they have been ordered to pay the federal government.

On Wednesday, the nuns collected food outside the U.S. Attorney's office on 17th Street, gathering such items as cream of mushroom soup, canned peas (give peas a chance) and pork and beans, which they related to the "pork-barrel" nature of the military-industrial complex.

Sisters Ardeth Platte, 70; and Carol Gilbert, 59; along with Sister Jackie Hudson, 72, served multi-year federal prison sentences for defacing a U.S. Air Force missle silo northeast of Denver. In addition to the prison sentences, the nuns were placed on probation and ordered to pay $3,082 in restitution for damage they caused to a fence and the dome of the silo.

The nuns refuse to pay cash to the government, which they say will be spent on more bombs and war efforts. Instead, they are collecting food donations to be given to low-income military familes on public assistance. They estimate that roughly 4,000 cans of food will have the same cash value as their restitution.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn refused their offer of canned goods, as did Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown, who prosecuted them.

This morning, federal probation officer Chris Keating ordered Platte and Gilbert to return to the Baltimore probation office by 6 a.m., Friday.

Bill Sulzman, speaking for the nuns, said they will not return to Baltimore until their work of collecting and distributing the food has been completed. Sulzman said donations are streaming in from around the country, from Portland, ME, to Portland, OR.

He said the nuns told Keating they will not be returning on time. They accept the possibility they may be arrested again, Sulzman said.



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Since the time of St Dominic, more than 800 years ago, Dominicans have been living and sharing
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