Climate Ground Zero’s legal team and the calls of hundreds of supporters have secured a bail reduction hearing for EmmaKate Martin and Benjamin Bryant for 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 21. Magistrate C. Porter Snodgrass set Martin and Bryant’s bail at $100,000 each for their four non-violent misdemeanor charges of trespassing, obstructing an officer, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, and littering. Martin and Bryant blockaded Massey Energy’s regional headquarters in Boone County, W.Va. on Monday, justifying their actions in this public letter. The unprecedented bail for non-violent civil disobedience in the Climate Ground Zero campaign sent ripples of outrage through the mountaintop removal abolition movement and beyond.
Magistrate Snodgrass and other Boone county magistrates consistently set lower bails for violent offenders. The following figures are from Coal Valley News, Boone County’s local newspaper:
- Magistrates in Boone County have set bails at $30,000 and $20,000, both with 10% cash bond options for individuals charged with malicious wounding; the first for intentionally hitting a man with a van and the second for stabbing a man.
- Magistrate Snodgrass set a $2,000 bail, with $200 bond option, for a woman charged with felony malicious wounding for stabbing her husband in the head.
- Snodgrass also set a $40,000 bail, with $4,000 bond option, for a woman arrested while driving under the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol two days after she was arrested for stabbing her husband.
- For armed robbery, Snodgrass set a $100,000 bail.
The list of comparable or lower bails for violent offenses goes on.
Nick Martin is EmmaKate’s older brother, a community organizer, and has been part of Climate Ground Zero’s campaign of civil resistance to mountaintop removal.
“I am happy to report that my sister and Ben are in high spirits and their convictions remain strong,” Nick, who was able to visit EmmaKate today, said, “We are all appalled by Magistrate Snodgrass’s punitive use of bail. It is an attempt to squash resistance to mountaintop removal.”
“As evidenced by the outpouring of support for EmmaKate, Ben, and all of us this week, Snodgrass and the West Virginia legal system is finding out just how widespread opposition to mountaintop removal really is,” Nick continued, “It’s not just the hundreds who have participated in non-violent civil disobedience in the coalfields. There is a national movement, and right now they are calling for justice for EmmaKate and Ben. We’ll get them out soon.”
Stand strong Porter. Don’t back down.
This bail was not ethical. The only reason for it in my opinion was because these two were fighting mountaintop removal. I hope to see that Massey and Blakenship are sentenced as heavily for their crimes against the miners and for destroying our environment. This bail need to be reduced and instead of jail time, they need to be released. We are fighting a war aginst our mountains, no one would put our military in jail for protecting our country. Why are these being punished for protecting our land, waters, and our mountains?
Sounds like Boss Hog has another judge in his pocket.
What an outrage! Hope you get a good outcome at the hearing.
Very glad to hear it.
I really think there needs to be an FBI investigation into the legal and justice systems of Boone, Logan and Raleigh counties. I mean it’s blatantly obvious someone is getting their pockets fattened with Massey money. I hope this lets Snodgrass and the others know we are not going to sit by idly and let a few ruin our state for a dollar.
LET THEM ROT. ALTHOUGH THEY WOULDN’T SMELL MUCH DIFFERENT.
jcv you sound like a very bitter, hateful person. must be sad to live a life like that….i think if I felt that much hate i’d just kill myself and get it over with. ;(
I hope those radical criminals stay in jail. GET OUT OF THE COALFIELDS!!!
While I pretty much am against everything you guys stand for, i am even more against violations to our bill of rights. The eighth amendment clearly states “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Make sure they have good lawyers. $100,000 is absolutely insane.
Well Geez Em, that comment you just made about having that much “hate” for someone must hit home for you, seeing as how you said pretty much that in one of your previous post that was made on here. I mean after all you basically wished starvation, disease and other stuff for anyone involved in the mining industry which in my book means hatred! What was the word you used…..loathing, yep that means hate!
That’s the pot calling the kettle black….
I don’t hate anyone but I will fight and do what I have to to protect those that I love from people that want to put me and my family in harms way for a dollar. People that don’t have any care for anything in this world other than greed really don’t deserve to share air space with those of us that do care. When you have to look into that third eye of your grand baby some day and hold it’s third little hand because you chose money over clean water then you come back and we’ll talk about who said what.
EM, HOW IS THAT HATE? I’M TRYING TO SPREAD LOVE. THE LOVE OF SOAP THAT IS.
Americans will never ‘get out’ of America. We immigrants are free here to wander, and thank God…because we’ve no place else to run.
Chris, people who nonviolently protest, even to the point of (gasp!) sitting in a road, are not “radical criminals” in the minds of most decent people. Do you also believe that everyone who has engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience, from Thoreau to Ghandi, through the women’s suffrage and civil rights movements, were “radical criminals?”
To me, EmmaKate and Ben are brave patriots risking their freedom in a state where coal-bought politicians and judges run the show. The real criminals in Appalachia are those who poison residents’ water, flood communities, rain flyrock on their neighbors, kill babies in their sleep, poison streams, threaten communities with total annihilation from unsafe sludge dams, violently attack peaceful activists, threaten to slit children’s throats, and kill workers by choosing to ignore regulations. Now, who on earth would sink to such depths of depravity? Why, the very same industry that’s on here calling nonviolent protesters “radical criminals,” that’s who! So Chris and JCV, when you hope for criminals to rot in jail, you may get your wish when justice finally comes to WV. When it does, I hope you’ve adequately prepared yourselves for jail.
Vernon,
This country needs coal right now. It supplies our nation with over 50% of its electricity. As important as that, is the fact that it give jobs to hundreds of thousands of people in the applachian areas that otherwise would be forced to move, or be on goverment assistance, and well below the poverty level. If there is ANY problem with water, its is addressed and taken care of. Now, all the other stuff, is either isolated accidents, I know that hippies like you don’t know that word and want to make sure someone gets blamed, but accidents do happen. Doctors have admitted killing over 200,000 people last year by accident, but I don’t see you standing in front of a hospital blocking the entrance.
This county is quickly becoming a third world nation. People like us, who are working and providing for everyone else, are trying to keep that from happening.
If there is a better way than coal, show it to me. Don’t give me the crap about solar and wind either. The both require batteries that are 100 times more harmful to the enviroment than coal ever could be. With clean coal technology we are making advances every day. It’s not perfect, but until the scientist come up with something better, then we will keep mining. So until you start riding a bike to work, and live by candlelight, say thank you for what we do, and shut your mouth.
On a more stone age primitive, basic insult my manhood deal, I would survive in prison, you on the other hand, would be traded around for a carton of Kools.
eM…respectfully, I say you are one self contradiction as I have ever seen. Now before you blow up and call one of those Doctors you know for a chill pill, I really am just being honest. I don’t mean to upset you, as for a comment that I made I know it seems simple, but I do wish no ill against you. i do have to say this, more coal OTR trucks than I have seen on route 3 in a long time. Thanks and keep up the good work. Those guys have families to support also. We all demand, but only a few supply! What a cycle!
No offense Progress Miner but wouldn’t that increase in coal activity be due to other mines being closed for violations, a murder investigation and they have to get coal some where?
MountainWitch, ummm as we speak, there are mines reopening, say what you want about UBB, please don’t call it murder, and as long as they are getting coal from my neck of the woods, I say jobs. jobs, jobs!
Oh wait Em, yes you did say hate, you “loath” does that not mean hate? YES IT DOES SISTER! I can talk on here all I want and you know that what I have said on here is the truth and it will stand when the world is on fire sister, so get over it and deal with it that and realize that my husband has a job to do the same as you do, these resources are not going to run out until the good Lord says it’s time. Not even a week after you made the statement that you wished starvation, disease and loathing us, 29 miners died in a mines so there you go EM, now let’s not be so quick to lash out the next time.
I have been to several mine sites with creeks, streams oh whatever you all want to call them, seen men wadding the waters to fish, why I even stopped and ask if they had caught anything, they showed me what they had caught and I sure did not see no three eyed fish!
I can say this from my point, if this world doesn’t straighten up and realize what they are doing to America which is far worse than MTR, then I probably wont get to see my grandbabies, I pray I do but at the rate this ole’ world is going I don’t think I will.
MountainWitch, I realize you guys are gripping for straws here but have some respect for UBB and stop saying it was MURDER! That is so distasteful on your part and might I had that Massey wanted to do an open investigation but MSHA wouldn’t go for it, so wait till the air clears and the investigation is done before you jump on a bandwagon and holler MURDER!
Yes, Raychel you are correct. I did say that and at the time I was very angry and I wish I would have not said it. I have to remember that hateful words only serve to harm. I am learning though and I really, really don’t “hate” anyone. I dislike some people very much because they refuse to see that we has human beings have to take responsibility for our own actions. Especially when it comes to the destruction of our Earth. I am human. I know I am leaving a footprint. I feel like a hypocrite at times because I do use electricity and drive a car that uses petro. I know I am just as guilty as all of you….I think the only difference is that I realize that and I am trying very hard to do better and only use what I need. And honestly if need be we can all live without electric produced by coal and gas made from petro but we can’t live without an Earth. If your religion truly teaches you to just take whatever you want without thinking about the future of others then I feel that is not a true religion. We are never going to agree on this issue but I am going to continue to fight to end MTR and so are MANY others.
Progress Miner I do not take pills except my synthroid and a tylenol occasionally….oh and some vitamins. I’ve never done ANY type of illegal drugs either.
Progress Miner:
If you go to the Cencus Beuru’ s website and The Miners Assoc.’s you can look at the figures and see MTR does NOT benefit West Virginia’s work force. Where are those jobs at??? Aprox. 744,000 civilian workers in West Virginia. Aprox. 30,000 coal miners. Aprox. 6,000 employed by MTR. But, yet we are the third largest coal producing state in the nation. Indirect employment won’t be affected one way or another. It doesn’t matter if they have man or machine to extract it. BUT, eliminating MTR and actually putting men back to work might help the miners?? *sigh* What do I know?
Raychel & Progress Miner:
You can read my thoughts on Massey & the disaster in the other thread. Because honestly, I just get tired of repeating myself.
Mountainwitch…. The seams that are being extracted by MTR are far to unsafe to get from room and pillar mining. More rock/material over your head generally means better top. Mountain Top Removal (MTR) is used to get the coal that is close to the top in which the seams have very little strata above. But what do I know, I just work in the industry???
If underground mining wasn’t a option then they wouldn’t be opening more underground mines at the rate they are. In addition to that, you have companies like Peabody Energy sending out statements reassuring their stockholders over the controversy over MTR. They say they can always get it underground. The only reason they are going after the seams of coal that you are mentioning is because it’s cheaper to extract. Less men to employ and easier to get. So you can choose to let a industry take jobs from you and your fellow man but I will choose to fight against it. The only ones benefiting from this practice is the industry itself. It has horrific impacts to the environment, puts hardships on surrounding communities, causes negative health impacts to surrounding communities, covers rivers & streams, etc. etc. etc. Corporate benefits is not the most important thing in WV. You are foolish if you allow it.
What happened to the backbone that miners used to have? This is not what my grandfather and father stood for. (yes, miners) They never backed down to a industry that wanted to enslave them for their profit. I have said it before, this isn’t the days of shopping at the company store and living in company housing. When are you going to wake up?
I’ll tell you what happened to the backbone of the mining industry, they let Cecil Roberts in there and act like a complete idoiot at rallies and so forth, he is not looking out for the miner’s no more than my son is. It’s foolish to believe he cares anymore than anyone else.
I don’t have to go back and read what you have posted to keep you from repeating yourself I don’t waste my time, it just comes back to me when you all say something to contridict yourselves or those words you type come back to bite you in the butt.
The Union that is here now is here because they have the old saying, “well my grandfather, greatgrandfather and my father where in the UNION so I am in the UNION”. If they got a real president in there that wanted to have the union where it was my MY DAD was in there then things might change.
I’m not saying you do anything illegal eM, I came far from that. In fact over and over I won’t say religion, because there are many religions; all false but one of course, Jehovah God says to be a consumer not a conservationist. If you don’t think there is plenty to go around until He says there shall be no more, then explain to me why here in this America, that you, I respectfully with high honor say, you served, are children starving, elderly dying, and the unfortunate skimming by? While there are disasters in Haiti, and so forth, yet we have a mysterious surplus of anything to give aid for? Hmmm? Raychel, thinking of mexican for lunch Monday,maybe you know where.
Raychel:
So you are saying the coal miners are not only slaves to the coal industry but Cecil Roberts as well? They can do like the rest of us and take a stand. They can use the backbone they have and passed down to them from the past. Think devastation and economic ruin. We all know that. Instead of working against these demons we all should stand together.
PS. I don’t insult you. Reading the other thread and this one you seem like a bitter woman. Maybe you should ask God to help you with that in the morning.
You know MountainWitch, I don’t think I came off bitter, I would suggest that word for others but not me. Matter of fact, I just came in from church and I feel like pretty good. When I do go to church in the morning I will pray for God for my needs not my wants and other things but the bitterness I don’t think he and I need to have that talk.
Progress Miner: My husband wanted to know if you wanted to meet him at the Hacienda place at Logan near their Wal-Mart for Lunch!
Keep the hope everyone….looks like some people in power are finally putting our Earth and people’s health above the almighty dollar. “federal regulators have put on hold at least twice as many Appalachian coal-mining permits as publicly disclosed, shutting off an estimated two billion tons of coal production planned for the region.”—- http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100521-710805.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
Like I’ve expressed before I feel for anyone that finds themselves without a job but there are other jobs and ways to provide for yourself and family. Preservation of this Earth and protecting the health of the people comes first.
em:
Let’s do lunch. The usual spot? LMAO!
That was a joke MountainWitch!! Are you that “out in left field” that you don’t know a joke when you see one and as far as me wasting my time in your post earlier, I meant that I didn’t have to GO BACK TO A PREVIOUS POST YOU MADE read what I said before you go shooting off your mouth!
I am sure Progress Miner and my husband will let you women join them if you want, don’t get all emotional because you weren’t invited….
Raychel:
I was serious! LOL I was inviting her to lunch. I Love em! Having a “not on my medication” sort of day? WOW! LMAO!
Take you to Pipers MountainWitch, haven’t been there yet. I’m sure it’s good.
MountainWitch…yes, let’s do lunch. How about a midnight lunch on the full moon? We can cast a circle and see what happens. Also, I have that item for you that you have been needing for that special spell you want to do. Hey, also since this is a forum to discuss mountain top removal not a place to plan outings….here is an article I thought you might find interesting and informative. I missed this one somehow.
Terrestrial Carbon Disturbance from Mountaintop Mining Increases Lifecycle Emissions for Clean Coal
AbstractFull Text HTMLHi-Res PDF[96 KB]PDF w/ Links[97 KB]Supporting InfoJames F. Fox*† and J. Elliott Campbell‡
Civil Engineering Department, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, and College of Engineering, University of California, Merced, California 95343
Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (6), pp 2144–2149
DOI: 10.1021/es903301j
Publication Date (Web): February 8, 2010
Copyright © 2010 American Chemical Society
Let me know what you think.
funnyordie.com check out the tree.
Better get that “medication” sister!
I gotta get in the bed now, as much as I would like to stay and keep up with this wonderful bunch of people, but I gotta go to Black Castle and EdWight tomorrow so I got to get some sleep.
MountainWitch and Em, please by all means enjoy your lunch date tomorrow;) Don’t choke!
So Mountainwitch, are you saying that Peabody (UMWA organized) doesn’t use MTR techniques in its mining??? And if you would look at all the UG mines that are opening, they are near the bottom-mid part of the mountain.
Speaking of Peabody, strip mining is booming in Obama’s home turf, the Illinois coal basin with tho opening of the Bear Run mine described as the largest east of the Mississippi, blasting huge holes in the earth to extract coal and nary a word from Obana’s EPA.
We know you are there….the tree line doesn’t hide you.
Had to laugh Progress miner!
Raychel, hey there! They have been seen. It’s been a year almost, they are expected.