MOUNTAINTOP MINING PROTEST: Seventeen Arrested Saturday

0 views

Skip to first unread message

Bill Holmes

unread,

May 25, 2009, 12:20:08 PM5/25/09

to Bill Holmes

MOUNTAINTOP MINING PROTEST: Seventeen Arrested Saturday

Six Remain in Jail for Opposition to Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
and Coal Sludge Impoundments; $2000 Cash Bail ‘Unprecedented

Special to Huntingtonnews.net

Coal River Valley, WV (HNN) — Seventeen volunteers were arrested
Saturday, May 23, 2009 in a three-part civil disobedience action in
the continuing movement to end mountaintop removal. Six are still in
the Southern Regional Jail as their supporters try to raise the $2,000
cash-only bail a Raleigh County magistrate says is needed for their
release.

“This is an unprecedented and extremely punitive bail situation,”
Mountain Justice volunteer Ivan Stiefel said. “We can’t even use a
bondsman. We need $18,000 cash, on a holiday weekend, to get everyone
out of jail. We are asking everyone to go to mountainjustice.org and
respond to this outrage by donating to our legal fund.”

Allies of those arrested plan to hold vigils outside the jail until
they are all released.

The civil disobedience actions were carried out by community members,
Mountain Justice and Climate Ground Zero volunteers, and others.
Former Congressman Ken Hechler, 94, was among those protesting at noon
yesterday at the gate to the Massey Energy’s Marfork Coal facility,
where the massive Brushy Fork coal sludge dam is built. He tried to
cross onto Massey Energy property in solidarity, but the West Virginia
State Police refused to arrest him. They did, however, arrest seven
others who crossed onto Massey property. Four remain in the Southern
Regional Jail.

In the week leading up to these actions, many of the same volunteers
helped people in Mingo County clear their homes of debris from the
recent floods. In one of the first actions Saturday, before dawn,
eight people walked onto the Patriot Coal-owned section of the
12,000-acre-plus Kayford Mountain mountaintop removal site. After
hanging a banner reading “Never Again!” on the grill of a giant dump
truck, they locked themselves to guardrails and the driveshaft of the
truck. State Police took the eight to the Boone County Courthouse,
where they were charged with trespass and conspiracy and released for
future court appearances.

“We locked down at the Kayford mountaintop removal site with mud from
the Mingo County floods on our boots, and now, with the dusty remains
of Kayford Mountain on our boots, we stand in solidarity with our
sisters and brothers still jailed for their actions to oppose
mountaintop removal,” Mountain Justice volunteer Jared Story said.

Also before dawn Saturday, two women donned hazmat suits and
respirators and boated onto the 8-billion-gallon Brushy Fork toxic
coal slurry lake to unfurl a 60-foot floating banner reading, “No more
toxic sludge!” They were charged with trespass and littering, and both
remain in the Southern Regional Jail, with $2000 cash needed for their
release.

“This is absurd. How can you litter on a giant toxic waste dump?”
asked volunteer Cente Rosa. “Massey Energy has a permit to blast
within 100 feet of this impoundment, which sits atop a honeycomb of
abandoned deep mines. That’s the criminal activity!”

http://urlet.com/representative.deplete

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/state/090525-staff-statemountaintopminingprotest.html

Tagged Boone County, Brushy Fork, Climate Ground Zero, coal mining,
Kayford Mountain, Marfork Coal facility, Massey Energy, mingo county,
Mountain Justice, mountaintop removal, Patriot Coal, Raleigh County,
slurry, toxic coal slurry, toxic waste, water, west virginia,
virginia, kentucky