Biography
Lynne Greenwald is a Pacific Northwest peace activist with the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action and the fifth defendant in the November 2, 2009 Disarm Now Plowshares action at the Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington — the storage site for the U.S. Pacific fleet's Trident D-5 nuclear warheads. Greenwald, alongside Bill 'Bix' Bichsel SJ, Steve Kelly SJ, Susan Crane, and Sister Anne Montgomery RSCJ, cut through three security fences, reached the inner perimeter, and waited to be arrested. She was convicted by a federal jury in December 2010 and sentenced on March 28, 2011 to six months in federal prison. Contemporary reports record her initial release from SeaTac on September 12, her rearrest the same day, and her final release on September 26, 2011. Her recorded prison dates cover 182 days across two custody periods. Sources: The Nuclear Resister, nos. 162 and 164.
Lynne, whose legal name was Linda Greenwald, died August 5, 2014; her memorial was held August 15. She moved to Washington in 1983 and worked with Catholic Worker communities, including Emmanuel House’s support for people with AIDS and later prison ministry. Her family included husband George, children Christy, Alissa and Noah, and two grandchildren. Her recollection of the Catonsville Nine concerned its influence on her as a Baltimore nursing student, not participation in that action. Source: https://www.gzcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/October-2014-newsletter-for-website.pdf#page=6
An April 29, 2011 prison writing by Lynne Greenwald is headed FDC SeaTac. This documents that historical location; it does not establish six months of actual jail service or an exact transfer date.
The March 17, 2014 report individually lists Lynne Greenwald among those arrested after crossing the boundary at the Nevada National Security Site on March 10 during the Pacific Life Community gathering. The named participants were held in processing pens, issued citations and released a short time later. No statutory charge, individual jail admission, completed full day of custody or subsequent court outcome is supplied. The period during which the group crossed the boundary is not treated as an individual detention duration. The Nuclear Resister, March 17, 2014.
The October 8, 2010 report individually names Lynne Greenwald among the five Disarm Now Plowshares defendants arraigned that day in Tacoma federal court and permitted to represent themselves. It reports that the grand jury returned charges in early September 2010: conspiracy, trespass, destruction of property on a naval installation and depredation of government property. The announced December trial and possible maximum penalties were prospective, not completed outcomes or measured imprisonment.
Lynne Greenwald was sentenced to six months in federal prison on March 28, 2011 for the Disarm Now Plowshares action. U.S. Marshals took all five defendants from the courtroom to the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac. The May 27 departure reported in the same account was Anne Montgomery’s release to home confinement. Greenwald was physically released on September 12 and briefly greeted supporters. Later that day, marshals arrested her while she was completing release paperwork, returning her to custody. She was released again on September 26. The two custody phases span 182 calendar days in total; the account does not establish the hours she spent outside custody on September 12. Sources: The Nuclear Resister No.162, June 1, 2011, printed pages 1 and 4; No.164, November 4, 2011, printed page 3.
Disarm Now trial and verdict
The contemporary trial account individually names this defendant among the five Disarm Now Plowshares participants arrested at dawn on November 2, 2009. A jury found all five guilty on all counts on December 13, 2010; the report names Judge Settle, and Anabel Dwyer’s commentary identifies Assistant U.S. Attorney Arlen Storm as the prosecutor. A separate report dates the public announcement of the indictments to September 3, 2010; that announcement is not treated as proof of the precise day the grand jury acted. Contemporary verdict report. Contemporary trial commentary. Indictment announcement report.
