Breaking: Mike Roselle In Jail For Blasting Dust Demonstration In West Virginia
Breaking: Mike Roselle In Jail For Blasting Dust Demonstration In West Virginia
(UPDATE: Mike Roselle was released the morning of Dec. 3)
For many months, activist Mike Roselle has been working with Climate Ground Zero and various local groups in support of a bill to end mountain top removal mining in West Virginia.
On Thanksgiving Day, Roselle along with Guinn McGuiness and videographer Mike Cherin went to the West Virginia Governor's mansion and left a jar of MTR coal dust on the steps. Roselle was arrested when he refused to remove it.
A full Press Release on the event was posted on the Climate Ground Zero website on the evening of November 28 as well as a link to the video taken by Mike Cherin explaining the protest.
A status appeared on activist Mike Roselle's Facebook wall earlier today (November 29):
"Roselle has been smacked with bail of 20K! 10K for each misdemeanor charge, Trespassing and Disorderly Conduct. No 'non-lawyer' visits allowed until Tuesday. He has not been allowed his phone call yet. We are contacting lawyers,but due to the holidays, it is going slow....next possible arraignment is at 9 PM tonight by magistrate Hall".
Roselle remains steadfast in jail. He refuses to acknowledge the repeated requests by Magistrate Hall to sign papers that agree to the ridiculous charges of Disorderly Conduct and Trespassing.or the assigned bail of 20K. CGZ has a great lawyer working on the case pro bono. He has worked w/Roselle before, here, in the Coal River Valley.We are working with ALL activists to:
1:Force the Governor of West Virginia ,Earl Ray Tomblin[D],to admit that the toxic dust that reigns down upon WV everyday is a health crisis for all WV citizens
2:Stop obscene harassment,detention and ridiculous charges of US citizens exercising their constitutional right to protest and be heard.
Please call Governor Earl Ray Tomblin @ 304 558 2000 or 1 888 438 2731
The governors mansion where Mike was arrested ,phone # is 1 304 558 3588
To email Earl, you must go to www.gov.wv.gov and comment
Make your voice HEARD!!!
Posted by Mike Cherin via MR"
Mike Roselle is known to be one of the movement's longest continuing direct action campaigners, as one of the original co-founders not only of Earth First, but also the Ruckus Society, Rainforest Action Network as well as Climate Ground Zero.
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