The ongoing campaign to stop Climate Crimes Needs Your Support
The ongoing campaign to stop Climate Crimes — and the first
non-violent direct action at a nuke in “Relapse” need your support –
significant fines and fees have already been
awarded to the first to go before a judge — please contribute what
you are able — we are appealing these unconstitutionally harsh
sentences — so need money for legal help too! If you know of legal
resources in Virginia — please contact Mary Olson — 828-675-1702,
nirs@main.nc.us
please donate to legal support at www.asheville.risingtidenorthamerica.org
The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action
[www.climateconvergence.org/southeast] August 5 — 11, Louisa County
VA — a week-long educational / training event
inspired two great actions:
On Thursday August 7, people from the local community and also folks
from the Climate Convergence
visited the North Anna Nuclear power station in Mineral VA — and
conducted a Truth Telling tour of the Visitor Center
(adjacent to the reactor site). At Visitor Center closing time the
protesters sat down and “occupied” the site in an effort
to prevent further climate crimes by Dominion. Since nuclear energy
cannot solve the climate crisis and yet costs more than
any of the real solutions would — it is a climate crime to
misappropriate funds — whether public or private — when funds
are so desperately needed for the real climate solutions (smart use of
power to stop wasting energy, sustainable non-fuel power
generation such as wind and solar and overall decentralization to
community-based sustainable power generation to maximize
efficiency) Thirty-five minutes later 6 of them were arrested for
trespass. See below for further details.
The second action was on Monday, August 11 in
Richmond, VA. Despite a massive police presence throughout the
city and our major action plan derailed by law enforcement harassment, 50
activists snaked their way through Richmond today in an un-permitted
march, paying visits to several climate criminals. Carrying banners
reading, “No Nukes, No Coal, No Kidding” and “Social Change not Climate
Change,” people marched to the headquarters of Massey Energy, Dominion,
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and Bank of America.
At Massey Energy, a notorious coal company involved in mountaintop removal
coal mining, activists surrounded the entrance and yelled, “Hands off our
mountains!.” The group then moved on to the Department of Environmental
Quality which recently rubber stamped Dominion’s dirty coal plant in Wise
County, VA. Next the group brought the party to Dominion, who is building
the aforementioned coal plant as well as proposing a new nuke plant in
Louisa County, VA. Chanting “No coal, no nukes, we won’t stop until you
do!” the activists attempted to take over Dominion’s plaza but were
repelled by police on horses. In a show of interspecies solidarity one
horse bucked a cop off its back.
To wrap things up for the day, the crowd moved on to the the towering Bank
of America building, one of the largest funders of the coal industry. In
impressive feat of stealth two activists manage to infiltrate the beefed
up security at the building and locked to a sign outside of the customer
entrance. Marchers supported the lockdown with a die in on the sidewalk.
Police eventually cut free the two that were locked down and charged them
with tresspassing.
All in all it was a great day. While the police may have foiled our
original plans they couldn’t stop us altogether. Pretty much every
building in Richmond connected to a climate criminal had cops staked out
at it and several activists cars were followed anywhere they went. Despite
this we had a successful march and lockdown. Lets continue the struggle
for climate justice in the southeast!
please donate to legal support at www.asheville.risingtidenorthamerica.org
Nuclear protesters appeal unprecedented trespass fines
All three protesters of Dominion Resources’ planned new nuclear
reactor in Louisa Virginia immediately appealed the unusually harsh
sentences that were issued by a district judge on August 14. The
protesters were among 6 arrested for the Aug 7 non-violent takeover of
the North Anna Nuclear Power plant information center. The three were
subjected to fines and fees of over $1300 each in an effort by the
county and state to recover the costs of the large police presence at
the Southeast Climate Convergence. “As peaceful protesters who have
plead guilty to a misdemeanor trespassing charge I find these fines
especially egregious considering these charges typically carry a $100
fine,” said Darcy Georgia from WAND (Women’s Action for a New
Direction).
The Southeast Convergence for Climate action was a regional
educational event focused on climate issues held in Louisa County on
private land that was rented for the purpose. Camp leadership and the
land owner met with the local authorities prior to the peaceful event,
out of courtesy.
Spot Et Al, who was one of the protesters arrested, said “These fines
are based on an association that the state never proved. It is
charging protestors for all of the costs of the police overtime spent
on watching the Southeast Climate Convergence action camp when some of
the protestors had no association with this camp. Further, it is
unconstitutional to base fines on the costs of errors in staffing made
by the police,” pointing out that the camp was completely peaceful,
without even internal need for conflict resolution. Spot Et Al is part
of the Charlottesville based CAGE action group.
The protesters were demanding that Dominion cease its plans to build
an additional nuclear reactor at the North Anna site in central
Virginia because they view it as a false solution to the Climate
Crisis. “Dominion should be thanking us for pointing out the failure
in their climate change policies.” Said Paxus Calta, one of the
protestors charged with trespass and a member of the local group
Peoples Alliance for Clean Energy (PACE) which supporters renewable
alternatives and conservation solutions to the energy needs of the
people of the region.
The remaining 3 protestors from the August 7 action are proceeding to
a hearing. A second case is pending in Richmond proceeding from the
non-violent lock-down of two young Climate Crisis protestors at Bank
of America in downtown Richmond on Monday August 11.
Mary Olson
NIRS Southeast Regional Coordinator
Nuclear Information & Resource Service
PO Box 7586 Asheville, NC 28802
nirs@main.nc.us www.nirs.org
828-675-1792
new cell — 828-242-5621 (no signal at my office)
Nuclear Information & Resource Service
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 340,
Takoma Park, MD 20912
tel: 301-270-NIRS (301-270-6477);
fax: 301-270-4291
e-mail nirsnet@nirs.org
