Sunny Jordan Hamrick tells supporters before the Dec. 7 trial in Kansas City, Mo., on his and others’ resistance to nuclear weapons, “No matter how much work we do in our communities, no matter how many mouths we feed, or homes we repair, and no matter how much Love we share, it could all be taken away in seconds because of these weapons, because of the lust for power. So today, as we walk into the courtroom, we take a few steps in the direction of truth, just as we did on Memorial Day.”—Photo by Jeremy Ruzich

Nukes on trial: tables are turned—after case is dismissed, defendants call nukes guilty of crimes against humanity

The Dec. 7 hearing at the Kansas City, Mo., Municipal Court was dubbed “Nukes on Trial,” but there was no trial because the lone witness for the prosecution did not come to court; no one appeared to testify against the five defendants’ act of civil disobedience. Nonetheless, nuclear weapons were tried and found guilty as the defendants held their own court after the judge dismissed the trespass charge.

Poor People’s Hearing highlights poverty in Missouri

The national movement called the Poor People’s Campaign held a Poor People’s Hearing in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 10. An overflow audience heard the heartbreaking stories of an undocumented person, a Native American, a farmer, a low-wage worker, and a veteran. After each of their stories, the audience chanted, “Someone is hurting my brothers and sisters, and we are not going to take it anymore!”

Senseless killing, sensible response

The irony that the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh became the scene of multiple shooting deaths on a peaceful Sabbath morning is a senseless contradiction, difficult to take in. We at PeaceWorks, Kansas City, join the nation in grief for the victims of the Oct. 27 massacre and their loved ones.

Learn, Move, Act: Justice for Immigrants

“This summer has witnessed a reckoning for U.S. political and social life, a rending tension of fear and exclusion for humans who have immigrated more recently, without legal documentation, to this culture. While the policies of immigration law have, throughout the national history, always sought to exclude, there is an especially violent escalation in the current moment of federal orders and actions. Offering welcome, refuge, and mercy all become the work of peace,” says Joseph Wun.