LEGAL DEFENDS FUNDS NEEDED ASAP; NONVIOLENT ACTIVISTS
FACE TRUMPED-UP CHARGES AND LUDICROUS BAIL

At 10am on Tuesday, June 7th, approximately 45
activists surprised Knoxville-based National Coal
Corporation, the most destructive coal company in
Tennessee, by showing up at their first-ever
shareholders meeting at a Holiday Inn Select meeting
room in west Knoxville.

National Coal is a relatively new company that has
bought over 115,000 acres of mineral rights in TN and
KY. They claim on their website, www.nationalcoal.com,
that they are going to "mine these mountains like never
before."

A festive procession, which included a marching band, a
bear costume and several other animals, found the door
to National Coal Corporation’s meeting locked. As a
sheriff opened the door, demonstrators demanded that
National Coal stop mountaintop removal mining and
distributed informational flyers to shareholders.

The sheriff and National Coal Corporation responded by
assaulting protesters with pain compliance and choke
holds. Jon Nix, the CEO of National Coal, got in on the
action himself, grabbing one of the demonstrators and
twisting his arm behind his back.

Activists continued to disrupt the meeting with chants,
drumming, and portable security alarms. Eventually, the
sheriff and National Coal Corporation board members
cleared and shut the door. The marching band and
chanting continued for another ten minutes until more
law enforcement officers arrived. Personal security
alarms were still going off as demonstrators exited the
building.

Police said protestors could continue the protest
outside, but minutes later two protestors were
arrested. A journalist was detained for an hour and his
camera was temporarily seized. A third protestor was
arrested later as people returned to their cars.

Several trumped-up charges were stacked onto these
three nonviolent activists after the sheriff said that
he was taking a personal interest in the case and that
they "were going down."

-john johnson was charged with aggravated assualt,
disrupting a meeting or procession, burglary,
incitement to riot, and aggravated assault
(bail=$22,000).
-Sequoia Mcdowell was charged with assault, disrupting
a meeting or procession, burglary, and aggravated riot
(bail=$10,500).
-Chris Dodsen was charged with aggravated assault,
disrupting a meeting or procession, burglary, and
aggravated riot (bail=$13,000).

These charges are completely unfounded. All of the
arrestess are 100% dedicated to nonviolence, and there
was certainly no riot or burglary going on. We have
video footage as well as witnesses to prove their
innocence. Still, THESE CHARGES ARE EXTREMELY SERIOUS.
They are being stacked onto dedicated nonviolent
activists to punish them for excersing their 1st
amendment rights and to try to crush resistance to
mountain top removal mining. The police have labeled
these activists "eco-terrorists" and are accusing the
jail support team of being eco-terrorists as well. We
are hoping that they will be arraigned and will get a
bond hearing by thursday, june 9th.

Legal funds are desperately needed. To donate, please
send checks or money orders to Mountain Justice Summer,
PO Box 16309, Knoxville TN 37996. You can also send
donations via Pay Pal by logging onto the paypal
website and emailing mountainjusticesummer-AT-hushmail.com
(Please specify the donation is for the Legal Fund).

This assault on Mountain Justice Summer activists is an
assault on all of us who believe in free speech. It is
becoming a dangerous trend that corporations and their
friends in law enforcement can arbitrarily label
community organizers and nonviolent activists
"eco-terrorists" as a means to streamline the amassment
of corporate profit. We must strongly oppose this
neo-McCarthyism before it escalates out of control.
Here in Appalachia, we will meet the coal industry's
lies with the overwhelming facts of the destruction
resulting from mountain top removal mining. We will
continue to stand up for our mountains; we will not be
intimidated and we will not be silenced.

Thank you for your support. For more information, visit
www.mountainjusticesummer.org, email
mountainjusticesummer-AT-hushmail.com or call (865)
633-8483.


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