Biography
Helen Woodson was an anti-nuclear activist who on Nov. 12, 1984 performed a protest action with 3 others where the group cut a padlock on a fence surrounding a Missouri-based ICBM missile silo containing a Minuteman II nuclear-armed warhead and used a rented jackhammer to chip away at the silos concrete. The damage they caused was minimal but Woodson received an 18-year sentences. Woodson was released in 1993 and 3 days later walked into a Chicago bank, produced a fake pistol and asked the teller to empty all the cash drawers. After being handed $25,000 in cash, Woodson piled the money in the middle of the bank lobby, doused it with lighter fluid, and ignited it. She made a statement elaborating on her belief that money is the root of all evil. She was immediately arrested and imprisoned again for another 11 years until being released on March 9, 2004. Hours after her release Woodson mailed a number of letters to government and corporate officials that included a 38. caliber bullet and stated their actions were like bullets fired into the heart of creation. The next day she went to the District Courthouse in Kansas City and poured a mixture of cranberry juice and red paint onto the security desk. She was again arrested and convicted of sending threatening communication and being a felon in possession of ammunition. Woodson was released for the final time in September of 2011.
