Twenty Pro-Mountain Activists Held on $500,000 Combined Bail After Shutting Down Hobet Mine

By scott parkin

Environmental crises are ravaging the country.

From tar sands oil pipelines to fracking for natural gas to western coal exports, the fossil fuel industry is literally waging war on the United States. One of the most resisted forms of extraction is mountaintop removal coal mining. In the late 1990′s, a new anti-strip mining movement emerged after a 30 year hiatus. In the past few years, people from inside and outside the coalfields have waged fierce direct action campaigns against the destructive process.

RAMPS, or Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival, hosted the Mountain Mobilization this past weekend which included plans to shut down an active strip mine.

On Saturday, July 28th, 50 activists entered onto the Hobet Mine in Boone County, WV, the largest strip mine in the country, in an act of mass civil disobedience.

Twenty of them were arrested and are now in jail with $25,000 bail each.

Donate here to help get them out of jail.

One of the arrestees includes 20 year old Dustin Steele who was arrested, beaten by police, badly injured, and has been refused hospital care. Dustin is the son and grandson of West Virginia coal miners and it’s completely outrageous the treatment he has received at the hands of law enforcement.

Here’s a video of Dustin speaking the day before the action.

We want to get Dustin out of jail immediately in order to get him medical care. Please support Dustin.

Actions are happening all over the country to fight back against the fossil fuel industry, now is the time to stand up and stand together.