“We disobeyed. We were in the wrong.

But we were in the wrong for the right reasons.”

Making Their Voices Heard

The largest national protest ever against mountaintop removal mining took place in Washington, DC Monday as more than 2,500 people—including many coalfield residents and allies from across the country—gathered in front of the White House to make their voices heard.

“We disobeyed. We were in the wrong. But we were in the wrong for the right reasons," said Floyd County KFTC leader Bev May, reflecting on the arrests made yesterday as part of Appalachia Rising.

Appalachia Rising was organized and led by Appalachia residents from Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

While folks chanted “We are Appalachia,” nearly 120 people participated in nonviolent civil disobedience and were arrested at the event. Folks were arrested for refusing to move from an area near the White House when asked to do so by police. Arrestees included at least 12 KFTC folks, primarily from eastern Kentucky, including leaders Bev May and Rick Handshoe from Floyd County, Mickey McCoy from Martin County, Cari Moore from Knott County, and others.

KFTC member Megan Naseman of Madison County was arrested yet continued to chant, “What do we want? Clean water. When do we want it? Now!”

Other arrestees included renowned NASA climate scientist Dr. James Hansen, retired and former coal miners, religious leaders, and young folks. Four additional people were arrested at a sit in at PNC Bank in DC, protesting its role as a lead financier of MTR.

“It’s hard for me to break the law,” noted Rick Handshoe. “But this was different. I want it to get out to people globally about what’s happening in my community. It’s not just killing the environment; it’s killing people.”

“Being arrested? That’s such a small price to pay for being heard,” explained Mickey McCoy. “My home and people are paying the real price for mountaintop removal.”

Cari Moore added, “I got arrested because I wanted to call the president’s attention and the public’s attention to the greater crimes of mountaintop removal. I wanted to encourage my government to pass laws that will protect our mountains, our environment, our health and safety, our rights, and our cultural heritage.”

“I’d like for President Obama to pick up a pen, before he has dinner today, and, with a stroke of that pen, abolish MTR and strip mining,” said McCoy. “It’s now or never, I’m afraid.”

Demanding a Better Future

Appalachia Rising wasn’t only about demanding an end to mountaintop removal mining. Protesters also called attention to the need for a just transition for Appalachia.

“I got arrested because I want a new future for Appalachia,” explained May. “We targeted the Obama administration because he’s the only elected official who can stop MTR and announce a new economic plan for Appalachia.”

“We weren’t just marching against MTR. We were marching for a just transition,” noted KFTC’s Canary Fellow Teri Blanton. “Our people—who’ve created energy for this nation for the last 100 years—need to be a part of the new power, new energy revolution. If we are going to have any chance for this positive future, we’ve got to save the mountains that are left.”

“I want to see the end of the boom and bust, band-aid economy that the coal industry has given us,” reflected McCoy. “I know we’ll have coal around in the near future, but the transition has to be made today to establish a sustainable, diversified, vital, and thriving economy in Appalachia.”

“We know that jobs that come from destroying mountains don’t last,” explained May. “What we need for workers in the coal industry is the same sort of transitional help that tobacco farmers got to diversify their crops. Right now, coal only employs 2.6 percent of the eastern Kentucky workforce. We need help getting those miners into new jobs like reforestation, home weatherization, windmills, and more.”

“I want folks to have job opportunities where they don’t have to risk their lives,” said Moore. “I want people to feel a sense of control and options in their communities. And, on top of this, I also want to see us preserve our culture and maintain our unique identity. We can’t do that without our mountains. Our culture and our mountains are intrinsically linked.”

Moore continued, “Politicians have been telling Kentuckians that coal provides jobs. But we know that MTR mining eliminates jobs. And we’ve gained impoverished communities. We’re not even breaking even, let alone gaining prosperity. We see surface mining threatening Benham and Lynch, communities with very real potential for creating sustainable jobs, energy and money for the area. If politicians really cared about jobs, they’d help us stop that mining in those communities.”

“We’re sacrificing the long-term future of our region for the short-term profit of a few,” concluded Moore.

Speaking the Truth & Building the Movement

As much as anything, yesterday was about speaking truth to power and educating the public about what is happening in Appalachia. As KFTC members and allies tell their truths, they increase the number of folks who will join in the fight.

KFTC member Sarah Blanton noted that one police office said to her, “If I were not wearing this uniform, I’d be right there with you. I’m from Paintsville.”

Greg Capillo of Madison County said, “Out of this event there are more police and more folks in DC and beyond who know more about MTR. The police see protests every day. But I don’t think they see people like Bev and Rick every day—folks who take a stand and say, ‘Here’s what’s happening to me, my mountains, my family, our home.’ It’s really powerful.”

“It’s beyond cap and trade and climate change. Those can be abstract for people,” continued Capillo. “But folks losing their mountains and drinking poisoned water? That sticks with people.”

Moving Forward

The work to stop MTR and build a better future for Appalachia continues. A crew of KFTC members stayed in DC to lobby on Capitol Hill today. Harlan County leaders Carl Shoupe and Stanley Sturgill, joined by others, will be talking with lawmakers about their vision for the future of their homeland in Appalachia and the need to stop mountaintop removal in order to realize that vision.

While they walk the halls in the Capitol, today in Louisville there is a very important hearing with U.S. EPA officials about the need for strong rules to protect the public from toxic coal ash. Hundreds of folks will be there rallying in support of strong rules and drawing attention to the ways in which coal harms our water, air, land, and people from extraction to disposal of coal waste.

The coal ash hearing and rally are directly linked to the events yesterday in DC. Appalachia is rising; Kentuckians are rising; America is rising to demand new power—new energy and economic power that offers sustainability and opportunity.

“The whole nation is watching,” explained Blanton.

Pointing to the marks on his arms that were created by the arrest bands, Rick Handshoe told the bus driver bringing him back to Kentucky, “I got these stripes on my arms for your grandchildren and for my grandchildren.”

We need New Power. The time is now.

Take Action

You can be a part of this important work. Here are some simple things you can do:

1. Call President Obama at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414 and tell him that you support Appalachia Rising, demand that he take immediate action to abolish mountaintop removal and bring safe, clean jobs to Appalachia!

2. Go to this link and let EPA know that we need strong coal ash regulations!

3. Visit www.newpowerky.org and sign the New Power Pledge! Ask your friends and neighbors to sign, too.

Check out media coverage of Appalachia Rising:

The protest made the front page of the Washington Post’s print edition on Tuesday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/fpImages/fp_front.jpg

The Washington Post has a photo gallery of the protest and arrests. Scroll through to the fourth photo to see KFTC member Teri Blanton in cuffs and a big smile (and wearing KFTC’s “Friends of Mountains and Miners” sticker):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/09/27/GA2010092705160.html

KFTC member Mickey McCoy is quoted in this CNN report:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/27/white.house.protest/

The Louisville Courier-Journal article that foregrounds KFTC and quotes several KFTC members:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100927/NEWS01/309270054/More+than+100+arrested+in+D.C.+mountaintop+mining+protest

The WYMT story on the group traveling from KY to DC, before the rally:

http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/103761499.html

The rally and protest was WYMT’s top story yesterday:

http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/103889689.html?ref=689

The Lexington Herald Leader article is accompanied with a photo from the AP of KFTC member Megan Naseman wearing her “I love mountains” KFTC shirt:

http://www.kentucky.com/2010/09/28/1453719/kentuckians-among-100-arrested.html

This piece in The Hill (which reports political news related to “Capitol Hill” in DC), reports on other protests in the area and leading up to Monday’s action at the White House:

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/121153-more-than-100-arrested-at-coal-mining-protest-in-front-of-the-white-house

Jeff Biggers’s blog report in the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/breaking-mass-arrests-in_b_740686.html

The Appalachia Rising website has more coverage including video of the protest and photos:

http://appalachiarising.org/

Grist: More than 100 arrested at mountaintop-mining protest [SLIDESHOW]

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