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Peggy Hutchison: Spies in the Church

Peggy Hutchison knew she was taking a risk by working with the Sanctuary Movement in Arizona. When she was convicted of harboring illegal immigrants, she knew what she was going through was insignificant compared to the persecution and torture endured by refugees fleeing death squads in Guatemala and El Salvador. Her respect for the U.S. government was forever tarnished when she learned government agents had infiltrated her congregation and church to spy and tape their meetings.

My Story

An Underground Railroad. We would get word from either human rights groups ... (1:19)
The Government Informants. These guys had shown up and, what are they, they are roofers or something ... (0:56)
The Sanctuary Trial. We had these long pre-trial hearings where the government filed ... (0:50)

Themes

Anti-war. Protesting against any of the foreign policies of a U.S. administration, especially a President's decision to go to war, has often been viewed as a threat by that administration. The experiences of Will Bergfeld, Gren Whitman, Peggy Hutchison, Bridget Colvin, George Main and Eric Shaw connect and contrast this situation across time.