Nine choose prison to draw eyes to cause

By Brenda Bowen, Times staff writer

PEKIN, IL - A crowd gathered in stifling 90-degree heat Tuesday afternoon as nine women surrendered to authorities at Pekin's federal prison.

The crowd was filled with supporters of the School of the Americas Watch, the group to which all nine of the women belong. The SOAW alleges that a U.S. Army training school in Fort Benning, Ga., teaches Latin Americans combat skills used to rape, torture and murder people in Central America. U.S. Army officials say the school, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, promotes democracy in Central America. Instructors there teach respect for human rights, they have said.

Among the surrendering prisoners were Sister Dorothy Hennessey, 88, and Sister Gwen Hennessey, 68. The siblings are Franciscan nuns from Dubuque, Iowa. They and 24 others were convicted of illegal re-entry onto a U.S. military base in November 2000. The group carried onto the base white crosses with the names of slain Central Americans they say are victims of the training school's graduates.

Surrounded by cameras, microphones and reporters, the Hennesseys spread their message of nonviolent disobedience as a means of accomplishing goals. Dorothy Hennessey used a cooler as a makeshift stool and friends held umbrellas up to shield her from the sun.

Hennessey is short and stooped, with cropped gray hair and glasses. A small pin on her shirt read: "No one is free when others are oppressed."

Supporters carried signs with fervent appeals about the SOA. "Teach peace, not war," one read. "Put SOA death squad leaders in prison - not 88-year-old nonviolent nuns," was written in bold letters across bright orange poster board.

Sister Betty McKenzie, 71, of St. Paul, Minn., said she wasn't feeling nervous about her impending incarceration. She said she was glad to be there in solidarity with the eight other SOAW members. Prison officials might have to adjust to having such aged prisoners, McKenzie said.

"You know, it's interesting that out of the nine of us going in, six are elderly. They might have to make special cream-of-wheat for us," she said, smiling.

Federal Correctional Institution-Pekin spokesman Eric Chapel said no exceptions are made for prisoners because of their age. Each prisoner is evaluated and assigned duties officials believe are appropriate. It's possible the nuns would be able to take on religious duties inside the prison, he said.

Joe and Jean Gump travelled from Bloomington, Mich., to support the women. They have protested before with one of them - Rachel Hayward, a 19-year-old who was attending Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

The protesters are a voice for the voiceless, Gump said, referring to residents of Third World countries without democracy. He and his wife have travelled to Iraq to deliver medicine and protest against nuclear weapons.

Speaking before she entered the prison gates, Hayward appeared calm and collected.

"This prison sentence doesn't change my belief. As citizens of a democratic government we are responsible to speak out and make a change," she said.

While Hayward seemed unaffected by the heat, one older bystander was. An 85-year-old woman collapsed in the middle of the news conference was treated by bystanders and AMT personnel.

The founder of the SOAW, Father Roy Bourgeois, spoke at the gathering. He told the women they are not alone, because the thoughts and prayers of supporters will be with them. He is a member of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, a religious group devoted to social activism.

Holding a white cross emblazoned with the name "Sophia," a Central American woman who Bourgeois said was a victim of the SOA, he condemned the prison sentence given to the nine protesters.

"They're going to prison ... while those who killed, who raped ... in their own countries were pardoned," he said.

Minutes before the nine women were to surrender, Hennessey was inundated with handshakes and hugs from well-wishers. Taking it in stride from her perch on the cooler, Hennessey remained adamant about the beliefs that landed her in prison.

"It's worth it," she said.

Copyright Pekin Daily Times 2001