Posted on 03/09/2020 11:54:51 AM PDT by buckalfa
CHARLESTON, W.Va. A large group of pipeline protesters inside and outside of the TC Energy/old Columbia Gas building in Charleston drew a heavy police presence on Monday morning.
The group, Appalachians Against Pipelines (AAP), stood in solidarity with the Indigenous Wetsuweten people for more than three hours at the facility starting before 7 a.m. Dozens blocked elevators, stood outside of the main entrance and stopped work from happening inside. More than 100 people participated in the protest.
According to a AAP release, the Indigenous Wetsuweten people are defending their un-ceded land in Canada, from the Coastal GasLink Pipeline and other unwanted, dangerous pipeline projects including the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Coastal GasLink Pipeline is a project of TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada.
Im here in solidarity with the Indigenous Wetsuweten people and all occupied Indigenous lands, in solidarity with missing and murdered Indigenous women and against extractive oil and petrochemical industries, Sasha Irby, a protester from the New Orleans area told MetroNews.
Irby, one of the vocal leaders, said the end goal is the end of extraction industries on Indigenous lands and to get their land back, as well as protection for their women.
She held a sign in the shape of a red dress that symbolized the missing and murdered Indigenous women in both Canada and the United States. Other signs at the protest stood in solidarity with Wetsuweten, some saying You Are On Stolen Land, and others Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Four people locked their bodies together, by interlinking arms and locking their necks together, inside the lobby as part of the blockade. Outside of the building, the group raised a warrior flag symbolizing Indigenous power after taking down the American flag from the pole.
Crystal Mello from Charlottesville, Virginia went inside and outside for the protest but told MetroNews, the entire group started inside before police arrived. Mello said that protesters were taken out of the building violently by officers with shoving and dragging.
Charleston Police Department released a statement on the incident Monday that said, Officers started communicating with the group and expressed our interest in a peaceful resolution. The group, Appalachians Against Pipelines, was told they could exercise their right to protest if they did so in a lawful manner, but to do so they needed to leave immediately, or they could be arrested. The group did not comply, so officers had to take steps to move the crowd outside.
Mello said she just wants all pipeline construction to stop.
We have the Mountain Valley Pipeline going through where we are at, she told MetroNews. The State of Virginia had a lawsuit against them and they pay a $2 million and suddenly everything is good, lets go back to destroying the water, the mountains and the endangered species.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline has experienced on-again, off-again construction, which is meant to extend 42-inch diameter natural gas pipeline over 303 miles to transport West Virginia natural gas into southern Virginia.
The pipeline would go through Wetzel, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Braxton, Webster, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Fayette, Summers, and Monroe counties in West Virginia.
The AAP said TC Energy, that operates the Columbia Gas pipeline and storage facility in Appalachia, continues the pattern of the legacy of colonization that has brought genocide and forced relocation to Indigenous people, including Monocan, Moneton, and Cherokee.
Mama Julz, Oglala Lakota and founder of the Mothers Against Meth Alliance, explained her decision to take action, saying in a press release, My territory is experiencing a meth epidemic, and many missing and murdered relatives. All the drugs and sex trafficking come from man camps that TransCanada has brought to my territory. Wetsuweten has been experiencing that same violence for years.
They have the Highway of Tears, where their missing and murdered relatives are stolen from. It all comes from the pipelines. Its important to be in solidarity because we face violence from the same industry. Our ancestors traveled and always kept us connected with our indigenous relatives to the North. The waters connect us.
TC Energy did not comment on the scene.
Dozens of law enforcement from the Charleston, St. Albans, Nitro, West Virginia State Police, and the Kanawha County Sheriffs were on hand. No arrests were made.
Luddites is a better name for these nuts.
jail
There should be national crime base that can identify those with previous convictions. When they committed a new crime the sentence should be doubled and then doubled for each subsequent offense.
I would leave the protesters where they are locked up at and just pepper spray them every five minutes for fun.
Animals love the pipelines almost as much as they love big oil rigs in the ocean. Where there was no ocean life suddenly thrives with it.
Why are these “protesters” still alive?
The Liberal government is also getting payola to prevent Canadian oil exports.
Meanwhile Canadian oil is transported by rail which is far more dangerous with greater catastrophic environmental accidents.
The usual miscreants no doubt.
If it wasn’t this it would be save the whales or occupy wall street. Same despicable people pulling these stunts over and over.
I agree that we need a break from the Covid-19 or 20 ,or 21 threads. Put obama back in the White House and you won’t hear shit about it.Unless it is to say how Wonderful it is. this is just another way for the media and Democrats to get President Trump.
Well, kids soon you won’t have pipelines to kick around
anymore. You can just give a big syanora! to domestic
production for the next few years.
Did she walk to Charleston, WV from New Orleans?
Unless she's like Greta, a hypocrite... 😋
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