[Please offer your urgent support to our friends in Appalachia]
January 25, 2009
Dear Friends,
Three brave tree sitters are stopping blasting on Coal River Mountain right now. Massey is using dangerous sleep deprivation tactics to force them down and resume destruction of the mountain.
After four days 60 ft up in the air, the treesitters, David Aaron Smith, 23, Amber Nitchman, 19 and Eric Blevins, 28, are still going strong. Massey's sleep deprivation by air horn isn't making things easier, and the sleet, fog, mist, and rain aren't helping either — but every time that people have talked to them, they sound upbeat and steadfast. The sitters plan to endure the discomforts created by Massey security and the weather and hold out for as long as possible to defend Coal River Mountain.
Far from permanently ending blasting on Coal River, Massey has tried to harass the sitters into leaving through the use of the sound machine, hitting the platforms with a rope, cutting down nearby trees and constant flood lights. Some of the harassment has stopped, but the sound machine continues, potentially causing permanent hearing loss. We need to call demand they immediately stop illegally using noisemakers to harass the tree sitters. Join us in calling Massey's international headquarters Monday, Jan. 25, starting at 9 a.m to ask them to stop the blasting on Coal River Mountain and to stop the harassment of the sitters.
Can you call Massey headquarters in Richmond? 1-804-788-1800
Sample script:
"Hi, I am calling to demand that Massey Energy halt blasting on Coal River Mountain and the abuse of the three tree-sitters occupying Massey's Bee Tree property. Security personnel have been incessantly blasting noise from an air horn to keep the tree-sitters awake. This puts both the sitters and the miners at the site at risk for hearing loss, and could be considered a felony under West Virginia state law. Also at risk are the lives of the 998 people who Massey predicts will be killed should the 8.2 billion gallon Brushy Fork Impoundment fail. To dynamite in the surrounding area is to gamble with the lives of the people of the Coal River Valley. The mountains of Appalachia soak up water and act as a water filtration system for millions of Americans inside of and surrounding Appalachia. To release toxins into Appalachia's waterways puts the health of these millions in jeopardy. Please stop this abuse of our forests and our health and halt the blasting."
Once you have made the call, please tell us how it went here. [http://climategroundzero.net/2010/01/callmasseyonjan25/]
Thank you for standing up for our tree sitters and for Coal River Mountain! Now help spread the word!
Please help make the tree sit and the campaign a success by:
* Donating to the legal fund [go to www.climategroundzero.org and hit the orange "legal" button]
* Forwarding this email to your friends
* Posting this story on Facebook and twitter
Thousands of new people have come to the Climate Ground Zero website to watch the progress of this action, mostly through word of mouth networks. We're not a big organization, and we rely need every one of us to help tell this story to the world. We're making constant updates to our website, so check back for the latest updates on David, Amber and Eric's brave stand.
In closing, here are a few words on the importance of this struggle from a previous speech at a rally given by Eric Blevins, calling for the protection of Coal River Mountain
"The government must step in now to stop this killing, and if they don't, we will keep getting in Massey's way until this madness ends, and we will save Coal River Mountain and the Coal River Valley and our deep connection to divine creation."
Thanks,
Climate Ground Zero Team
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