Leonard Higgins with his family and many supporters on the steps of the Chouteau County Courthouse, Fort Benton, Montana
Veronica --
On Wednesday afternoon, valve turner Leonard Higgins was found guilty of trespass and felony criminal mischief for shutting down the Express tar sands pipeline last year. With dozens of loved ones and supporters in the courtroom, Leonard's testimony moved those listening to tears when he said that he turned off the pipeline because, "like so many people, my happiness depends on the happiness of my least happy child." When asked by the prosecutor what he expected when he turned the pipeline off he said, "Two things, to face the consequences, and to use this chance to talk about the problem."
Leonard has used this opportunity to organize, to talk about climate, and to make plain the effort that is needed to change. ...
One juror interviewed after the trial said two things: that he "has a lot of respect" for people like Leonard, and that "the law is the law." But in a world on fire, what does the law mean when it protects those who are destroying the possibility for stable ecosystems on our only planet?
... we need to ensure that the necessity defense trial in Minnesota (scheduled for December 11th, but likely to be postponed) is well supported to tell the story on social media, on video, and in the press. And we need to support the valve turners who go to jail with in-person visits - we're already making plans.
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Leonard's sentencing is scheduled for January 2nd. Michael's sentencing is scheduled for January 18th.
Thank you, Jay O'Hara for the tar sands valve turners
PS. There's lots more info about the trial on our website. Check out the blog, and the final press release, and the list of news articles about Leonard's trial. Lots of video and more!
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