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July 22, 2005
Tensions Rise as Counter-Protesters Yell at Massey Protesters
By HNN Staff
Coal River Valley, WV (HNN)- On day two of the Massey Energy protest event counter-protesters became increasingly hostile, yelling at the march participants, intimidating protesters, kicking up gravel with vehicles and in one case appearing to purposefully attempt to hit a march participant with her car.
Just after missing protester Bo Webb, of Coal River Mountain Watch, the driver of the car in question pulled off to the side of the road and quickly removed her license plate before jumping back inside and speeding off. Protester Bo Webb has said he intends to file criminal charges.
Telling march participants to "go home," counter protesters were met with Julia Bonds, leading the march on Wednesday, July 20, 2005. Bonds took the megaphone and told of her own family's displacement at the hands of Massey Energy. Bonds, a Goldman award winner and active member of Coal River Mountain Watch, once lived up Marfork hollow, where the counter-protesters were stationed, but was forced to leave her hollow eight years ago when a Massey owned coal processing plant and 9 billion gallon toxic waste storage facility destroyed her community.
Bonds was one of many Coal River Valley residents responsible for organizing the three-day event supported by participants of Mountain Justice Summer.
Participants of the event say they are concerned about the devastating environmental impacts of mountain top removal mining but also have deep concerns regarding further mechanization of coal extraction and the detrimental economic impact on local communities.
Bonds emphasized that she and others do not want to drive jobs out of the valley. "Even though Massey Energy is from Richmond, Virginia, they would be welcome to do business in this valley," Julia Bonds stated, adding, "so long as they mine coal responsibly. Massey needs to stop hiring outside miners from Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Kentucky, and hire our boys from right here in the valley to mine this coal underground." According to the West Virginia Coal Association there were more than 100,000 miners employed in 1952. A little over a half century later there are fewer than 15,000.
Day Three of the March on Thursday, July 21 was expected to take protesters from Whitesville to Sylvester, home of Massey's Elk Run coal facility and the Sylvester Dustbusters. The Dustbusters -- Mary Miller and Pauline Canterberry -- are two grandmothers who have been wiping down their porches once a week ever since Massey removed a ridge top that kept the wind from reaching the coal stockpiles. Each week their white rags turn black with coal dust from the Elk Run Plant before they are labeled and stored in plastic bags. The two women sued Massey several times over a period of years. In response, Massey placed a large plastic dome around the stockpiles of coal, which according to the Dustbusters rags, isn't working.
Counter-protesters were expected to show up at the final day of the march Thursday, July 21, 2005, stationed at the Elk Run facility in Sylvester, WV.
