On Good Friday, we held a public liturgy and anti-drone witness at the US Courthouse. Over twenty people attended the service. The liturgy explicitly linked the crucifixion of Jesus Christ with the ongoing “ crucifixions ‘ of up to 5000 children, women, and men since 2004. It was cold.

After a time of prayer, song, and testimony, we ended with a litany. The concluding lines of that litany were:

We bear witness to Babylon’s drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen.
You have stained our hands with the blood of our neighbors!
We bear witness to endless war in the Middle East.
You have stained our hands with the blood of our neighbors!
We bear witness to continued oppression of the indigenous!
You have stained our hands with the blood of our neighbors!
We bear witness to the mass incarceration of young black men.
You have stained our hands with the blood of our neighbors!
We bear witness to the daily crucifixion of our Lord in the oppressed.
In complicity and complacency, our hands are stained with his blood.
In our repentance, we will resist the powers of domination.
Lord, in your mercy. Hear our prayer. Amen.

Then the liturgy continued as Brian Kraft, Joshua Miller, Brett Taylor and I took our fake-blood covered hands and proceeded to the US Courthouse and put our hands on the building as we continued to sing and pray. The fake blood was made to wash away easily (our friend Marty made it from syrup, soap, and food coloring). We offered to clean up, but they wouldn’t let us. The only times we were threatened with arrest was when we put up a sign on the Courthouse that said “Since 2004, 2500-5000 people have been crucified by drone strikes.” They also threatened us with arrest if didn’t move the protest to the sidewalk.

In the end, we refused to leave the courthouse area. At that point were arrested for 4th Degree Destruction of Property and spent about 7 hours in jail. Josh has court on April 11, Brett and Brian on April 12, and I have court on April 19. Josh and Brett qualified for a public defender. Brian and I, though, make too much money to qualify. In my case, the cutoff is $2500/month for a family of three. Since that isn’t a ton of money and I have my finances tied up in our ministry of hospitality, we don’t have enough money for a lawyer.

And so we’re asking for help. Brian and I are asking for donations to help with legal costs.If you’d like to help, go here and write “legal” in the “Other” category. Any extra donations will be held by the Mennonite Worker for any future legal costs associated with civil disobedience. And, since I’m asking for money already, please consider donation to our New House Fund . We’ve raise $70,000 for a new house of hospitality and have a ways to go before we can afford something large enough.