Oak Ridge

On July 14th we joined the Nipponzan Myohoji Atlanta Dojo on thier annual Peace Pilgrimage to the Y--12 Nuclear Weapons Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. The Y--12 facility is the last full sacle Nuclear Weapons Facilty in America. It was started as part of the Manhatten Project and was instrumental in the development of the Fatman and Little Boy Atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki in August of 1945. The Oak Ridge Envioronmental Peace Allaince (OREPA) has been running a campain to close the plant for many years, headed by many Religous & Envioronmental groups from the community OREPA has been creating major action each year, Nipponzan Myohoji walks 280 Miles from Atlanta to Oak Ridge arriving for the August 6th actions each year.


On July 13th, the walk began from the Atlanta Dojo in Georgia.	Florida Coalition for peace and Justice joins the walk with youth group.	The group comprising of youth from Albania, Cambodia, Croatia, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Sudan, USA.	One of the walkers from the youth group decorated himself with Peace Cranes while we walked.

Article in the Franklin Newspaper about the pilrimage through thier community, on our way to Oak Ridge.	Along the way many people would join us just for a few miles or a day. Some people would stay on longer.	Members of the pilgrimage welcomed by the OREPA community at the Johnson family's house.	Ingrid Johnson with Utsumi - Shonin & Denise Anju - sun from the Atlanta Dojo.

These signs on the fence around the Y-12 facility explain the extent of the toxins that they have released into the envioronment.	This sign is about 25 miles from the actual y-12 facility. This river runs through the Knoxville suburbs affecting thousands of families.	The peace rally that was organized by OREPA. It was attended by many groups including puppeteers, musicans, families & friends.	The walk through the city of Oak Ridge to the Y-12 facility was a way to educate the local people what is happening in thier own backyard.

Patrick Liteky who was on the walk with us was arrested for tresspassing on DOE(department of energy)property.	Patrick carried a symbolic body to the security of Y-12 as a gesture of repentence for all victims of the nuclear industry. He is now serving time in a Federal Prison.