U.S.

RFK Jr. Gets 30 Days

July 6, 2001 / 5:34 PM EDT / AP

A federal judge sentenced environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to 30 days in jail Friday for trespassing in attempts to thwart U.S. Navy bombing exercises on Vieques island.

Five others were convicted along with Kennedy, including Norma Burgos, a senator in Puerto Rico's legislature.

"You should be a lawmaker not a lawbreaker," Chief U.S. District Judge Hector Lafitte told Burgos, sentencing her to 40 days. But when she suggested that the Navy should be tried instead of the protesters, Lafitte called her defiant and increased the term to 60 days in jail.

The judge dismissed arguments that the protesters trespassed on Navy lands for what they said was a greater good to end contamination of the environment and save islanders' health.

Lafitte sentenced the other four protesters, including New York labor leader Dennis Rivera, to 30 days' jail each.

Several people gathered outside the courthouse Friday to speak in support of Kennedy and the other protesters, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Democratic Reps. John Conyers of Michigan and Nydia Velazquez of New York.

Jackson's wife, Jacqueline, and the Rev. Al Sharpton were among protesters recently jailed for trespassing in Vieques. Mrs. Jackson served a 10-day sentence last month. Sharpton was sentenced to 90 days because it was his second conviction and is to remain behind bars in New York City until Aug. 15.

Kennedy was arrested in April along with actor Edward James Olmos and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois, who have yet to go on trial.

Before going into court, Kennedy said he was ready to go to jail, though it's a difficult time for him. His wife is expected to give birth to their sixth child next week, according to his staff at the Waterkeeper Alliance environmental group based in White Plains, New York.

Kennedy's lawyer, former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, had planned to use the trial to argue for a political solution to end six decades of bombardments on the Navy's prized Atlantic firing range. But Lafitte refused to hear that line of argument, saying "I'm not going to allow political views, philosophical views, none of that."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser took testimony from Navy officers who said that Kennedy and Rivera's incursion — from a fishing boat onto the beachside firing range — forced a halt in the exercises.

"As soon as the vessel, the boat, entered the danger zone, I had to cease fire," said Lt. Cmdr. Russell Gottfried.

He said he interrupted the ship-to-shore shelling for 2 1/2 hours while security officers scoured the range for Kennedy's party, which was hiding in mangroves.

Kennedy, the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, said he is glad that since he was arrested, President Bush has announced that the Navy will stop bombing exercises on Vieques by May 2003.

But, he said, "That position begs the question, why are we going to continue bombing?"

Kennedy and other opponents argue th bombing harms the environment and the health of the island's 9,100 residents — charges the Navy strongly denies.