Contact: Andrew Munn or Dea Goblirsch 304-513-4710
Email: news@climategroundzero.org
BELLE, W.Va. - Two young people unfurled a banner which read, “Yes, Coal is Killing West Virginia’s Communities” off of the Walker CAT building in Belle, W.Va. at 12:55 this afternoon. The youth are affiliated with Climate Ground Zero and say they acted in autonomous solidarity with the Senior Citizens March to End Mountaintop Removal, are affiliated with Climate Ground Zero. The marchers passed the Walker CAT building on today’s route.
Gabe Schwartzman, 19, and David German, 18, were arrested by City of Belle Police and cited for trespassing on a structure or conveyance. They were taken to the Magistrate’s Court in Charleston, where they were released at 3:00 p.m on $100 personal recognizance. Steve Walker, CEO of Walker Machinery Company, went to the police station while Schwartzman and German were being cited for trespass.
At the behest of Walker CAT, the City of Belle Police Department detained the march at 3:20 p.m. Officers took the IDs of three marchers who walked onto the business’ property to speak with security. According to Roland Micklem, one of the three, he entered Walker CAT’s property to convey his convictions to security guards.
“I wanted to contact somebody with an opposing perspective and demonstrate to him that we have no hostility towards them as fellow humans; we have a serious point of disagreement, however, on the use of their machinery to destroy God’s mountains for profit,” Micklem said. The marchers moved off of the property when asked to leave.
Walker CAT’s Earthmoving Division is one of the main suppliers of equipment to mountaintop removal sites in West Virginia. They are also at the forefront of pro-coal advertising campaigns. In addition to television, print, and billboard adds, Walker CAT produced “Mountaintop Mining Viewpoint,” a brochure aimed at influencing public opinion in support of MTR. The twenty-eight page document makes claims that mountaintop removal coal mining is necessary, cheap and environmentally responsible.
While speaking to marchers and supporters at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charleston last night, Larry Gibson of Kayford Mountain stated, “They keep saying coal is cheap. Ask someone who lost someone in the mining industry how cheap it is. We know better than that in the coal fields.”
The March received its first physical harassment today. At 2:00 p.m. a driver threw a cup of water on Micklem, who says he “took it in stride.” The march has attracted both support and derision from passerbys. Marchers who so choose still plan to commit an act of non-violent civil disobedience to protest mountaintop removal at the conclusion of the march at Mammoth Coal Company on Monday afternoon.
Tags: arrest, banner, Seniors March, Walker Cat
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Stop MTR and Mountain Action. Mountain Action said: Arrestees free, 3 seniors IDed by police for allegedly walking on Walker CAT property. http://tinyurl.com/yjha3o6 #mtr #mjs #coal #stopmtr [...]
Check out this video ridiculing Walker CAT’s “Yes Coal” propaganda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWejgip3_Is
this has made me very emotional, and yet empowered. i learned about MTR over the summer at a program run by the sierra student coalition, and ever since i’ve been affected by this knowledge. i’m a southern girl who loves the mountains, and i’m proud to know that this issue is being dealt with through respect and power of opinion. david german is actually a friend of mine that i met over the summer, and i am very inspired by what he did.
[...] of Belle police arrested two young people for a solidarity banner drop off of the Walker CAT building in Belle, W.Va. on Saturday. The banner read “Yes, Coal Is [...]
[...] Gabe and David were released “3:00 p.m on $100 personal recognizance” according to the Climate Ground Zero press release. [...]
What a coward Mr Roselle is encouraging these young people to do what he is obviously to scared to do. If I were Walker I would sue his pants off.
Watcher he is just pulling strings, if you know what I mean.
[...] Cat, equated us to suicide bombers in the Middle East for hanging a banner on a building. We were arrested on Saturday for this act and cited for [...]
125,000 miners in the late 70’s & early 80’s,but now we have only 17,00 statewide?????? Now who is against employment in this state? MTR opposition or King Coal?!?!?!?
August, I don’t think anyone is against employment, It’s called mechanization and it’s happening all over the world.
Watcher, please not the five syllable words. LOL
[...] appear at an Oct. 13 summons. Trespass charges were filed against Micklem on Oct. 10 in relation to an incident at the Walker CAT office in Bell, W.Va. during the Senior March to End Mountaintop [...]
[...] Gabe and David were released “3:00 p.m on $100 personal recognizance” according to the Climate Ground Zero press release. [...]
[...] 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 [...]