Thugs and Bullies Beware: The Whole World is Watching You

	Denise Giardina speaks at the State Capitol press conference while Judy Bonds (left) and Maria Gunnoe (center) look on. photo by Mark Schmerling

On May 29, members of OVEC and Coal River Mountain Watch held a press conference at the State Capitol to expose the increasing harassment and threats weve received from some in the coal industry.

West Virginia author, religious leader, and former gubernatorial candidate Denise Giardina began the press conference with a prayer. Denise noted that we all have an obligation to speak against and witness the atrocity of mountaintop removal, and we have the right to do so without fear of violence.

Participants asked the media and law enforcement to take seriously our reports of threats and harassment. We called upon the governor and other state government officials, coal industry leaders, and union leaders to refrain from inflammatory statements that could incite violence against citizens seeking to protect their communities from mountaintop removal.

Mountaintop removal supporters have recently accused opponents of being anti-family extremists out to ruin the state and economy and take coal employees jobs, among other things. As these utterances escalate, so do the threats, harassment, and property vandalism endured by those who take a stand against mountaintop removal.

"Ive been threatened, and my family and home have been threatened.  Ive had to take extra security measures, simply because I dont want any further damage to my home and community from mountaintop removal," said OVECs Maria Gunnoe, who lives in Boone County.  "No American, no one anywhere, should endure intimidation for speaking out for their rights to protect their health and their property."

Retired coal miner Chuck Nelson said, "We demand that our government and its state agencies make it a priority that justice be served, and that democracy and our constitutional rights be upheld. Our state government should not be depriving certain individuals or certain groups of their civil rights."

"As citizens of the US, we have a right to free speech without fear of injury to ourselves, our families, our property, and our innocent pets," said Judy Bonds of Raleigh County. "If the strip job workers or their employers do not like what we do, then they should find a way to express their dislike other than through violence and threats."

"Mountaintop removal is a subject worthy of debate, but we need to consider our words and our actions," said Mari-Lynn Evans, who filmed The Appalachians. "One thing we must learn is that there is no place for violence." A worker objecting to her filming told Evans that she would be found "dead in the woods" if he was filmed.