Good Trouble on Good Friday, Faith Leaders at Crossroads Choosing Civil Disobedience over War Complicity
Editor’s Note:
Rev. Erich Kussman of St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church in Trenton participated on Good Friday in a civil disobedience protest with over two dozen others, blockading the gates of the death profiteer Lockheed Martin plant in King of Prussia. The primary organizer is the left leaning Christian advocacy organization known as Red Letter Christians.
We give a little glimps of the event including a video made documenting the event by one of the partiipants Paulo Almiron and an excerpt of the dialogue of the video. We also looked into some of the articles about similar protests targeting Lockheed Martin as well as information about its crimes of genocide and war crimes against humaniity. We provide numerous links to more information on these topics.We also would like to encourage discussion in NJ about the civil disobkdience option to challenge war, ICE terror and many other threats to our survival we now are facing. This editor would be supportive of a committee for Non Violent action to begin discussions of possible protests in NJ – and possible targeting of war complicit entities. Our editors had looked into this somewhat previously and we provide links with proposals of some possible targets.
With the spiraling escalation of the US – Israel initiated war of aggression in the Middle East targeting Iran and other regional nations and peoples we very well need to consider every kind of resistance to the potential of continued devastation and potential escalation toward nuclear confrontation. Much of people’s focus on voting and the midterms does not stop the immediate devastation of genocide and war nor will it likely end the wars regardless of the election outcome. We need to make it TO the elections first and the escalatory nature of this conflict makes that a question. Those who might be interested in pressure efforts against war profiteers and non-violent civil disobedience struggle can get in touch with Rev. Erich Kussman.
Elizabeth Port in NJ has been a site for such non-violent protest blockading shipments of weapons parts to Israal that are shipped by Maersk from that location. Lockheed Martin is also specifically named in the demands of students and faculty at Rutgers University to divest from profiteers from genocide in Israel and US war making.
I joined Rev. Erich Kussman on April 3 to document a protest against Lockheed Martin in King of Prussia, PA. Twenty five faith leaders and activists were arrested that day after blocking the entrances to the facility. Learn more about their motivations here.
Lockheed Martin, which is the United States biggest war contractor, has played a significant role in the production of weapons used in the most recent conflicts. And of course, this asks the question, what are people doing to stop this? Specifically, on Good Friday, faith leaders from different denominations must have asked themselves, what are people of faith doing to stop this? To answer that question, the organization Red Christians would organize a 200% protest against the company. To learn more, I joined Pastor Erich Kuzman from San Bernardi Lutheran Church to travel from Trenton, New Jersey to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
What we’re doing recently on this 2026 Good Friday where the stations of the cross happened and Christ was crucified on the cross, we’re standing in solidarity with our Iranian and Palestinian siblings that have been bombed by armaments made by Lockheed Martin. You got people from all walks of life here today. You have Palestinians, you have Iranians, you have uh Christians, you’re going to have some Muslims, people of just good conscience. Everybody’s coming here together to talk about how we don’t want this war anymore.
We got there just in time to meet people and learn more about the details of the protest and their motivations on this Good Friday, the day where the state, the empire killed our savior, this is what we can do to stand in solidarity just with our faith tradition during this Holy Week, to stand with those that are being oppressed and also shining a light on this injustice that we have.
I’m here in order to bear witness to the reality that the United States has been complicit and actually exercising a genocide in Gaza and also now that is spreading into ethnic cleansing in Lebanon. Uh the terrorist terrorization of Iran and multiple places around the world. Lockheed Martin is one of the largest suppliers of munitions for Gaza. the the genocide that happened in Gaza as well as on our border surveillance um and also the munitions that are dropping on Iran right now. All of which have been unjust wars uh breaking international law and breaking our own moral codes here in the United States as well as our laws. So, we are here to bear witness.
We also realized something. This wasn’t going to be a normal action. 25 people volunteered that day to block the entrance to the facility as part of a civil disobedience action. This meant that they would risk arrest.
Dialogue with participants and protest action dialogue:
What’s your reason, referring to Dr. Martin Luther King who actually we remember on his anniversary of his murder tomorrow. He said traffic lights are not bad but when a fire is blazing emergency vehicles go through the red lights to try to save lives. And right now there’s a fire blazing. The way that people have done nonviolent protests, the people have come before us and shown us examples of how change really happens. Um, and I believe nonviolent protest does that.
You know, I think the strongest statement that a citizen can make is to get arrested for what you believe in and and for what the country supposedly believes in. I mean to protest injustice essentially.
Not enough money for war crimes, not the protesters are now heading to the entrance to the Lockheed Martin facility.
After a little march around with the police already there, you could feel the tension in the air. After the organizers made sure everybody in the crowd was safe, those who would participate in the action gathered in front of the crowd at the gates. Let’s say it and say, “Lord have mercy.”
Together, Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
No to sacrificing mothers and fathers so that any people can get rich. No.
It was just a matter of time until the police began arresting the participants. One by one picked up, handcuffed, and taken to a bus.
Free free Palestine. Free free Palestine.
Everybody uh who’s engaged in civil disobedience is now under police custody.
We’re going to see where they are right now. We know where the precinct is and we’re going to see what happens.
What we didn’t know was how soon the participants would be released.
Surprisingly, by the time we got to the precinct, everybody was out. That’s what I told him. Yeah. Let me Let me take a close. Yeah.
That must have hurt. How do you feel, pastor? Uh, I feel like I’m standing on the right side of history. Even though,
you know, this was a quick process getting uh arrested by the police. It was a smooth process. But I like to go on record cuz I’m going to take this to trial, and I’m going to use that platform to talk about the injustice of war, bombs, the persecution of Palestine, and the persecution of our Latin siblings.
The churches are the silent sleeping giants. Once we wake up, we can change. 100 times.
We are the 66% of this country’s makeup. That means the church must wake up. The atmosphere was far from grim. In fact, the protesters were happy that they fulfilled their purpose. That was to send a message. When I see a group of people like today, willing to put their bodies on the line and showing up in joy and love, starting to love according to all of our faith. Head west on I’m filled with hope.
All in all, Good Friday at Lock Keat Martin was a show of people’s power. Thankfully, handcuff marks aside, everyone was safe and ready to continue with the struggle and what comes up next.
SOME ARTICLES ABOUT LOCKHEED MARTIN PROTESTS AND ITS GENOCIDE AND WAR CRIMES
PROPOSALS / IDEAS FOR NONVIOLENT DISOBEDIENCE STRUGGLE IN NJ AREA
