Four Anti-Mountaintop Removal Activists Arrested at Home
Iran is not the only place where government agencies are trying to disrupt organizers advocating for change.
Today, the West Virginia State Police picked up four Climate Ground Zero activists at home in Rock Creek on some old charges from October. Back during a peaceful march for seniors against mountaintop removal organized by 81 year old Roland Micklem, two young activists –Gabe Schwartzman, 19, and David German, 18– were arrested for unfurling a banner on top of Walker CAT’s headquarters. The charges are related to that banner drop. Last month, the state police arrested Micklem for the same charge.
As a result of the Oct. banner hang, Walker CAT president Steve Walker equated the anti-MTR activists with suicide bombers, that’s right, suicide bombers.
Next month, Climate Ground Zero has organized a three week winter action camp which will prepare 30-50 anti-MTR for actions in the Coal River Valley to carry out civil disobedience actions.
We’ve spent 2009 escalating the fight to end mountaintop removal. The coal industry spent 2009 escalating their rhetoric (example above) to cast us as “extremists” and “terrorists,” and encouraging intimidation and violence in the coalfields. Now West Virginia law enforcement is arresting activists and lead organizers in Rock Creek on “old” charges.
Could these arrests be a pre-emptive arrest to disrupt Climate Ground Zero’s activities? Let’s hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Four Climate Ground Zero activists arrested today in Rock Creek, West Virginia
Rock Creek, WV – At 3:47 pm, Tuesday, four Climate Ground Zero activists were arrested for trespass at their homes in Rock Creek, West Virginia. Matt Louis-Rosenberg, Jacqueline Quimby, Kimberly Ellis and James McGuiness were taken to the Kanawha County Courthouse by State Police. State Trooper Lt. Bowers. The charges stem from an October 10 demonstration at Walker CAT’s headquarters, which challenged Walker’s misleading pro-coal advertising campaign at which Gabe Schwartzman, 19, and David German, 18, were arrested by City of Belle Police and cited for trespassing on a structure or conveyance. The two had unfurled a banner which read, “Yes, Coal is Killing West Virginia’s Communities” .
More information as the situation develops. For more information, call Mike Roselle, Climate Ground Zero 304 854 7372.
3 Responses to “Four Anti-Mountaintop Removal Activists Arrested at Home”
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December 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I want to join you. Unfortunatly, I’m a little far away (India).
All the more power to you! Jai Ho!
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Sounds like the 1960s when cops would arrest anti-war activists. This is crazy. Again, have the cops nothing better to do than arrest environmentalists? Apparently not!
Were they harming anyone? NO! Leave them alone.
They were arrested because of hanging a banner on Walker CAT’s headquarters. So they hung a banner, big deal.
Arrested at home, insane…completely insane. Very unfortunate too! It’s a very old charge. October was “last year”. There are mad people on the loose everywhere and the cops are focused on environmentalists. That’s a great thing to know. No don’t bother trying to catch the bad people, go for the hippie-environmentalists.
I guess it is the 60s all over again. (never went thru it the first time….know many people that have)
I wish they’d just leave us alone. We’re trying to do our part to save the world. We all deserve a healthy world to live in, with healthy people and animals. Destroying mountains isn’t a way of making the world healthy.
Arresting environmentalists doesn’t help either.
One day, they will leave us alone, let us protest in peace,
and be united. That day will come when they jump on our wagon.
I’d join this group. The environment means everything to me. Too far away though. Spiritually though…I’ll be there!
Power to the People!
January 8th, 2010 at 9:29 am
What can we, who hate mountaintop coal and the burning of coal do to help?
Can we get contact info for the United Mine Workers? We could explain to them that we don’t hate them and we don’t want to take their jobs and ruin their lives.
All of us who deplore mountaintop removal must also deplore the lack of jobs in the impacted areas, where long-term poverty exists. We must energize the search for replacement jobs. For example, we can throw our support to underground mining, this time demanding safety precautions for workers and lessened impact on the environment.
We must help the local individuals and groups to apply for grants for “green” industries. Let’s spread the good news about the hard work of the Cold River Mountain citizens, developing the proposal to put a windfarm on top of their mountain. And let’s help them get it funded.
State governments are eligible for federal Recovery and Reinvestment money, but they must ask for it. We need to take back from foreign countries the research and production of equipment for alternative energy. We should help provide resourcesfor the Appalachian communities. Like the recent grant of $98 million to Clemson U. of South Carolina, for work with wind turbines.
Simplest, and the easiest and quickest to get going, is the industry that reduces energy costs. Many thousands of people are needed for restoration and retrofitting:
energy audits, of houses and businesses to find out how they can save electricity and money; and
weatherizing and renovating existing structures – houses, businesses, and city, county and state office buildings.
This industry has the additional benefits. By reducing our need for coal, we can keep our mountains and also improve our health by the decrease in air and water pollution.
Can you help?