(interviews available)
– Press Conference at 9:30 am, 1 Police Plaza, Elizabeth Municipal Court, NJ
Aug. 3rd, 2026 Four activists known as the Port Elizabeth 4, face trial on Wednesday, August 5th at 10 am at 1 Police Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ, for blocking the main roadway to the Port of Elizabeth on October 3, 2025. They were part of an autonomous coalition of 100 protestors who stopped trucks delivering military cargo to the Port of Elizabeth bound for Israel on the Maersk Sentosa vessel. By August 5th, the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza will have gone on for 1,028 days, almost three years.The activists, Teresa Grady, Danny Creamer, Ellen Grady and Mark Scibilia-Carver, are charged with three disorderly persons’ offenses for participating in the action on October 3rd, 2025. The charges include, 1) “Purposely obstructed North Avenue in Elizabeth NJ, preventing law enforcement … of keeping the roadway safe for vehicles…by laying in the roadway”, 2) “Purposely,…obstruct a roadway…specifically laying down on North Ave. in Elizabeth, NJ, preventing the transportation of commerce…”, 3) “while present at the scene of a riot where 5 or more persons were participating in a course of disorderly conduct…fail to obey multiple orders to disperse…”
The ship, Maersk Sentosa, was being loaded with approximately 1,000 tons of military cargo for Israel. The cargo included tires, military boots, power supplies, vehicles, and 61 tons of forging rings. The latter are used by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in missile casings, launcher systems, and other applications. The vessel has also historically transported Oshkosh and HEMTT combat vehicles in addition to brass case cups for ammunition.
On the day of the action, the anti-genocide activists released a statement: “This site [Port Elizabeth] exports weapons used by Israel to kill Palestinians in Gaza, delivered by Maersk and ZIM trucks. In addition, the port is one of the largest weapons exporters on the East Coast.”
Supplying these weapons for Israel’s genocide is a blatant violation of the U.S. War Crimes Act, the Leahy law, the Foreign Assistance Act, the Arms Export Control Act, and the Genocide Convention Implementation Act. To uphold these laws and prevent unlawful weapons shipments, the Port Elizabeth 4 and other protestors peacefully came to uphold all U.S. and international laws pertaining to withholding weapons being delivered to Israel’s genocide. According to U.N. Special Rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, the newest estimates of those brutally killed in the genocide is 680,000, almost half of whom are children. This was a peaceful act in solidarity with those protesting at ports in Oakland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Greece, and with the Global Sumud Flotilla, and most importantly, with the people and children of Gaza.”
By the fall of 2025, the people of Gaza had endured 2 years of genocide and forced starvation. Two years of marches, rallies, calls, and visits to elected officials failed to stop the genocide. One of the arrestees, Mark Scibilia-Carver, noted that “the most effective nonviolent way to stop a genocide is to stop the shipment of weapons.” Banners were held that read, ‘It’s a crime to send weapons to a genocide.’”
Another group, the Port Elizabeth 10, who acted on May 22, 2026, to stop Zim and Maersk trucks delivering weapons to the ship, Zim Virginia, will have their preliminary hearing on Zoom on Thursday, August 6th, the day after the Port Elizabeth 4 trial.
Elizabeth, NJ train station is a 2 minute walk to 1 Police Plaza, 40 mins from Penn Station, NYC.