Archive for September, 2009

81 Year-Old Announces Senior Citizens March to End Mountaintop Removal

Thursday, September 17th, 2009
posted by andrewmunn

81 Year Old Military Veteran Announces 25 Mile Senior Citizen’s March to End Mountaintop Removal

Contact – Roland Micklem or Andrew Munn 304-854-7187

Click here to listen to Micklem’s radio interview excerpts

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Roland Micklem is an 81-year-old military veteran from Richmond, VA. State police arrested Micklem and three others for blockading Massey Energy’s regional headquarters in an act of non-violent civil disobedience on the morning of Wednesday, September 9. In his statement, Micklem announced his intent to lead a five day, 25 mile march for senior citizens, ages 5o and older, in a protest against mountaintop removal (MTR). Micklem and other participants will depart on the morning of Thursday, October 8 from the state capital in Charleston, W.Va.. The march will conclude at the gates of the Massey-owned Mammoth MTR site in Kanawha County on Monday,October 12, where those who choose to will engage in an act of non-violent civil disobedience against mountaintop removal.

In Micklem’s open letter, he states, “No substantial gain in our efforts to continually evolve into a more humane and caring society has been made without the willingness of individuals—with non violence as both a creed and a strategy–to step outside the framework of law and tradition in order to correct wrongs when conventional measures had failed. The abolition of slavery, the enactment of civil rights legislation, the right of women to vote, the termination of the Vietnam war could not have come about without the help of the same kind of non violent, direct, and sometime unlawful action that we are using here to stop mountaintop removal. And as a Christian as well as one who basically respects the laws of the land, I see the growth and maturing of my Faith to be in direct proportion to my readiness to stand for truth, and to embrace causes that will contribute to our moral and spiritual uplift as the dominant species on the planet.”

Micklem’s march is a collaborative project between Climate Ground Zero, Mountain Justice, Intergenerational Justice, and Christians for the Mountains, and is part of an ongoing campaign of non-violent civil disobedience against mountaintop removal. Micklem and march co-organizer, Andrew Munn, age 23, are planning evening activites and speaking events to conclude each day’s walk and educated the public about MTR and related issues. Larry Gibson of kayford Mountain and 2004 Green Party gubernatorial candidate, Jesse Johnson are among those expected to speak and participate in the march. Senior citizens who are unable to march are invited to join in for the evening activities. More information on programming will be made public in future releases on www.climategroundzero.org.

According to Micklem, five people, including clergy men and women, are committed to the full march, and at least ten others will join for stretches. He expects more will join as word spreads.

Massey subsidiary Mammoth coal operates a mountaintop removal site and coal processing plant next to Route 60 east of Charleston. In 2004, Massey bought out Cannelton Coal, which formerly operated that site, cut the United Mine Workers contract, and reopened it as the non-union Mammoth Coal Company despite a union organized picket and lawsuits.

   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

81 Year Old Military Veteran Announces 25 Mile Senior Citizen’s March to End Mountaintop Removal

 

Contact – Roland Micklem or Andrew Munn 304-854-7187

Click here to listen to Micklem’s radio interview excerpts

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Roland Micklem is an 81-year-old military veteran from Richmond, VA. State police arrested Micklem and three others for blockading Massey Energy’s regional headquarters in an act of non-violent civil disobedience on the morning of Wednesday September 9. Click here to view the video of the action. In his statement, Micklem announced his intent to lead a five day, 25 mile march for senior citizens, ages 55 and older, in a protest against mountaintop removal (MTR). Micklem and other participants will depart on the morning of Thursday October 8 from the state capital in Charleston, W.Va.. The march will conclude at the gates of the Massey-owned Mammoth MTR site in Kanawha County on Monday October 12, where those who choose to will engage in an act of non-violent civil disobedience against mountaintop removal.

 

In Micklem’s open letter, he states, “No substantial gain in our efforts to continually evolve into a more humane and caring society has been made without the willingness of individuals—with non violence as both a creed and a strategy–to step outside the framework of law and tradition in order to correct wrongs when conventional measures had failed. The abolition of slavery, the enactment of civil rights legislation, the right of women to vote, the termination of the Vietnam war could not have come about without the help of the same kind of non violent, direct, and sometime unlawful action that we are using here to stop mountaintop removal. And as a Christian as well as one who basically respects the laws of the land, I see the growth and maturing of my Faith to be in direct proportion to my readiness to stand for truth, and to embrace causes that will contribute to our moral and spiritual uplift as the dominant species on the planet.”

 

Micklem’s march is a collaborative project between Climate Ground Zero, Mountain Justice, Intergenerational Justice, and Christians for the Mountains, and is part of an ongoing campaign of non-violent civil disobedience against mountaintop removal. Micklem and march co-organizer, Andrew Munn, age 23, are planning evening activites and speaking events to conclude each day’s walk and educated the public about MTR and related issues. Larry Gibson of kayford Mountain and 2004 Green Party gubernatorial candidate, Jesse Johnson are among those expected to speak and participate in the march. Senior citizens who are unable to march are invited to join in for the evening activities. More information on programming will be made public in future releases on www.climategroundzero.org.

According to Micklem, five people, including clergy men and women, are committed to the full march, and at least ten others will join for stretches. He expects more will join as word spreads.

 

Massey subsidiary Mammoth coal operates a mountaintop removal site and coal processing plant next to Route 60 east of Charleston. In 2004, Massey bought out Cannelton Coal, which formerly operated that site, cut the United Mine Workers contract, and reopened it as the non-union Mammoth Coal Company despite a union organized picket and lawsuits.

 

For more information on the Senior Citizen Walk to End Mountaintop Removal, visit www.climategroundzero.org.

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Tree sit security guards come forward about mistreatment of sitters and workers

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
posted by admin

ROCK CREEK, RALEIGH, W.Va.—Two people who worked as security guards, two weeks ago at the strip mining tree sit on Coal River, have come forward about TMK Security’s mistreatment of them and the sitters during the week-long occupation. Chris Carey, 26, and Patrick Curry, 18, came forward because TMK was subjecting the sitters to verbal and psychological harassment, verbal assault and sleep deprivation, and working the guards too long and deceived them about the situation. Carey was fired after coming and and Curry walked off the job.

Carey and Curry gave a one-hour interview on film, the full length of which is available at http://blip.tv/file/2547139. A 10-minute highlight reel is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y7HowFA9iA. Both are no longer employed by Delbarton, W.Va.-based TMK.

“They wasn’t doing anything. They wasn’t cussing anybody, they wasn’t assaulting anybody, they wasn’t doing anything to anyone,” Curry said. “They had no right, the miners came down there and after they was throwing those rocks, that there told me that they were ready to do anything and that’s when we moved our posts a little close to the tree.”

“I served my country so people like Laura and Nick could do what they are doing and I totally respect them for that,” Carey said. “These people are truly concerned about the citizens here and the environment and you want to put them in jail, and the EPA should’ve been doing this job and the DEP should’ve been taking care of this. But when people don’t do their jobs, it’s up to the citizens to stand up and do something about it, and they get arrested… It’s not right, it’s not what these men over in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting for. I’d be disgusted if I came home and this is what I saw.”

Laura Steepleton and Nick Stocks climbed 80 feet up a pair of tulip poplars, within 300 feet of blasting and 30 feet of the Massey Energy Edwight Surface Mine. They unfurled two banners from their treetop platforms: “Stop Mountain Top Removal” and “DEP – Don’t Expect Protection.” Blasting is prohibited when people are within such proximity, as Mining Safety and Health Administration regulations require that people not be hurt in the course of blasting and that non-blasting employees all be cleared from the area.

“The security guards that came forward are my inspiration for humanity. Those two and a few other people from TMK Security were actually concerned for our safety and acted as conscientious human beings. They were given orders by head security to intimidate us and keep us from sleeping, and the tactics that were utilized did not have our safety in mind whatsoever,” Steepleton said. “I only felt secure when those two guards and a few others were on duty. I want to thank them for standing up for what they believed in. They were my heroes!”

Steepleton and Stocks came down after being threatened with chainsaws and enduring five days of psychological torture, sleep deprivation tactics and verbal assault. They were both charged with trespass after being asked to leave, obstruction and littering. Their bail was initially set at $25,000 each, but was reduced the next day to $1,000 each and both are now out of jail.

The interview was filmed and conducted by Jordan Freeman, who recently finished his work on the new film, Coal Country.

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Posted in Reflections | 6 Comments »

Roland Micklem’s Statement on Peaceful Civil Disobedience

Monday, September 14th, 2009
posted by andrewmunn

81 year-old Roland Micklem released the following statement after his non-violent civil disobedience at Massey Energy’s Regional Headquarters on Wednesday, September 9.

The action went well.  Police arrived on the scene shortly after we had formed our human chain across the road, cut us loose, and hauled us to the courthouse in Madison to be indicted.  We appeared before the magistrate a few hours later and we were charged with trespass, conspiracy to commit a crime, and damage to private property.  Bail was set at $5,000 apiece. As I write the rest of my fellow activists are being released on bail.

The language of the indictments may have made us sound like seasoned criminals, but as we are quick to point out, the real criminals are those in charge of the demolition operations that are wiping out such mammoth sections of Appalachia’s mountains.  Among our charges was conspiracy. There’s is an ongoing conspiracy with their political hacks in Charleston and Washington which legalizes MTR (mountaintop removal), and they damage more property on any one of their sites than the combined efforts of all of the vandals in all of the major cities of the nation.

Many of us do not think of this campaign in terms of winning or losing. I, as many of my companions are here to make a statement with our lives; we are announcing to the world that we will no longer tolerate the business-as-usual policies of a power structure that are largely responsible for our economic, health, and environmental crises. The forces arrayed against us are powerful and perhaps overwhelming. But when I am called upon for an accounting of what I have done with my life, I want to be able to say that I have done everything humanly possible to implement my convictions.

This is the reason I’m prepared to carry on, regardless of the outcome.

In the below video and this open letter, he announced his intent to lead a 25 mile march of senior citizens in a protest against mountaintop removal. More information is available at this webpage.

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Posted in Reflections, Roland Micklem | 3 Comments »

Three Rivers Climate Convergence, Pittsburgh, Sept. 20-25

Friday, September 11th, 2009
posted by Dea

This September the fossil fuel industry and their political supporters are descending on Pittsburgh to put a green face on global capitalism. These meetings amongst the world superpowers whose failed policies are responsible for the global economic, environmental and human rights crises, will be met by global citizens who know we need to do things differently. We’ll break through and demand real, localized and community-based solutions that come from the 6 billion people of the earth, not 20 heads of state.

The Three Rivers Climate Convergence will be held September 20-25th in Schenley Park, located in the heart of Oakland, Pittsburgh’s student neighborhood. The convergence will gather together people united for environmental justice to share knowledge, attend workshops, plan actions and demonstrations in response to the International Coal Conference and G20 Summit and live sustainably in the shadows of a 21st century city. At this time, the encampment is not permitted by the city.

Tuesday September 22nd- Welcome to Climate Ground Zero! Tell PNC to Stop Funding Mountain Top Removal- PNC, through their ownership stakes in Blackrock Financial is one of Massey Energies largest shareholders, a prime destroyer of Appalachia’s mountains and communities.  Affinity groups are encouraged to target PNC branches all day long, with a main rally starting at noon (location to be announced).

Check out our website @ www.3riversconvergence.org

To let us know of your attendance, volunteer or host a workshop, fill out the sign up form.

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Posted in Other Climate/Energy News | 3 Comments »

Blockaders, Journalist Arrested at Massey W.Va. Regional Headquarters

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
posted by andrewmunn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Four Protesters, ages 22 to 81, and Journalist Arrested at Blockade of Massey Energy Regional Headquarters

Contact – Andrew Munn 304-513-4710
Note – Go to www.climategroundzero.org for pictures, audio, video and updates

JULIAN, W.Va.—Four protesters blocking the road to Massey Energy’s Regional Headquarters in Boone County and a journalist covering the event were arrested this morning. The protesters are charged with trespass, conspiracy, destruction of property, disobeying a lawful order and resisting arrest. Roland Micklem, 81, James McGuinness, 53, Joseph Hamsher, 22, and Fred Williamson, 75, comprised the human roadblock. The journalist, Gianni Lapis, is charged with trespass, failure to obey a lawful command, and conspiracy.

“All four have pledged to not participate in property destruction — these are likely just trumped up charges,” Charles Suggs of Climate Ground Zero said.

The four men used plastic pipes and chain to lock themselves together and to a guardrail and light post, shutting down the road to the headquarters for early morning traffic. State troopers and Boone County Sheriffs were on the scene soon after the lockdown and bolt cutters arrived shortly thereafter. Police cut the chains binding the men to the guardrail and light post and dragged them to the side of the road by the pipes that still locked their arms together.

Eyewitness Ivan Stiefel also reported that two of the three drivers-by who stopped to ask questions were supportive of the protesters. “One fellow was a deep miner passing through on his way to Charleston and broke down on the road,” Stiefel said. “He went to the cops to ask to use their phone to call a cab and was told to leave or he’d be arrested for trespassing. So he walked over to us and asked if it was a strike.

“I said it was a protest against Massey and mountaintop removal. He said he was a deep miner and hoped we didn’t hold that against him, but he didn’t like mountaintop removal. We said it was mountaintop removal and Massey’s horrible business practices we were protesting. Then we talked a while and called him a cab.”

Stiefel and other bystanders were asked to leave before the team was taken from the scene.

“I am exercising a spiritual obligation as a steward of Creation. It was not God’s intent that these mountains be destroyed to enhance the wealth of a few individuals,” said Micklem. “This should not be solely a young person’s campaign. Now that they have provided the example and inspiration, we seniors need to make a statement with our own actions and share the risks that are part of this ongoing effort to stop the obliteration of West Virginia’s mountains.”

Micklem is organizing a 25-mile senior citizen’s march set to begin in
Charleston on Oct. 5.  All four protesters are being held on $5,000
bail each, while the journalist is held on $3,000.

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Blockade at Massey Regional Headquarters

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
posted by andrewmunn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Andrew Munn or Zoe Beavers, 304-513-4710
Note: Pictures and updates available at www.climategroundzero.org

Four people, ages 22 to 81, block driveway to Massey Energy Regional Headquarters

JULIAN, W.Va.—Four concerned citizens are locked arm-to-arm across the road to Massey Energy’s regional headquarters off of Corridor-G in Boone County, W.Va. The four men, ranging in age from 22 to 81 years, are halting all traffic coming into the corporate office in an act of protest against Massey Energy and their use of mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining.

The signs read “Stop MTR,” “Stop Blowing up America,” “Protect God’s Creation,” and “People Over Profit.” The protesters insist that Massey pay damages and  health care costs to people who live within a one-mile radius of Massey MTR sites, that the federal government ban MTR immediately, and that a full investigation is conducted into Massey’s business, labor, and environmental practices.

“I am exercising a spiritual obligation as a steward of Creation. It was not God’s intent that these mountains be destroyed to enhance the wealth of a few individuals,” said Roland Micklem, 81.  “This should not be solely a young person’s campaign. Now that they have provided the example and inspiration, we seniors need to make a statement with our own actions and share the risks that are part of this ongoing effort to stop the obliteration of West Virginia’s mountains.”

Alongside Micklem are James McGuinness, 53, Joseph Hamsher, 22, and Fred Williamson, 75.

This protest follows on the heels of the week-long tree occupation that stopped blasting above Pettry Bottom for a week and the Massey-sponsored Friends of America event, at which Massey Energy Chief Executive Officer Don Blankenship, conservative celebrities Ted Nugent, Sean Hannity and others, painted climate change as conspiracy, pointed the finger at “environmental extremists,” and called for a new conservative extremist movement.

“There were many true ‘friends of America’ at their Labor Day rally, but not a single one could be found on stage,” said Andrew Munn of Climate Ground Zero. “’Friends of America’ are people who strive to make our land and lives better through their work, including those who commit acts of non-violent civil disobedience for the common good. Don Blankenship and men of his ilk are the fiends of America who profit from the violation of our rights of organized labor, clean air, clean water, health and the pursuit of happiness. Mountaintop removal and Massey Energy violate all of those rights, and we intend to take them back,” Munn said.

Massey Energy has paid the largest fines for environmental and worker safety violations of any coal company in the United States. In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency fined Massey $20 million for 4,500 violations of the Clean Water Act. In the same year, the Mine Safety and Health Administration fined Massey $2.5 million for the death of two workers and 1,300 safety violations in two of their underground mines. In the first quarter of 2009, Massey revenue increased 25 percent.  Yet, Blankenship announced an average six percent cut in worker’s wages and benefits to investors in the same quarter.

Micklem, a military veteran, is organizing a 25-mile senior citizen’s march against mountaintop removal for early October. For more information on the march call Climate Ground Zero at 304-854-7372.

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Posted in Action Alerts | 21 Comments »