Four arrested in anti-nuclear protest in Oak Ridge

Three of those arrested were protesting nuclear weapons research at the plant. The fourth person apprehended was an unidentified woman who took part in a counter-demonstration by a citizens group. Police believe the woman is emotionally disturbed.

The demonstration was organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance as part of the national “Stop the Bombs” campaign. The organization has traditionally staged two major protests a year, one in spring and another on Aug. 6, the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Kip Goodman Williams, 22, of Knoxville; Elizabeth Ann Lentsch, 67, of Washburn; and Gordon Lee Maham, 77, of Cincinnati were charged with obstructing a public road by standing in the middle of the street to block traffic. They were released on their own recognizance, and are scheduled to appear in Anderson County General Sessions Court on Tuesday, according to police records.

The unidentified woman will not face federal trespassing charges because “she didn’t intend to get arrested,” said Oak Ridge Police Capt. William Moehl. He said she would be charged with trespassing at the local level.

Anti-nuclear protesters said they wanted to bring attention to nuclear disarmament and President Bush’s policies, which they believe are harmful.

Marcelle Good, 24, of Knoxville, said she was 10 years old when the Cold War ended. She said she grew up “with a sense of security because the world wasn’t immediately threatened. … Now, my future is pretty bleak.”

Good said Bush’s decision to manufacture nuclear weapons while criticizing other countries that make weapons of mass destruction is hypocritical.

“It would be nave to think (the United States’) actions don’t speak louder than words,” she said.

June Griffin, one of the counter-demonstrators, described the anti-nuclear protesters as traitors. She said she didn’t like protesting but felt that her group needed to provide an alternative voice.

“It’s degrading,” she said. “We believe we should work through our political leadership, through Congress.”
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Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com