From Appalachians Against Pipelines:
Holden is out of jail! Here he is drinking a milkshake after his release.
This morning, Holden had a bail reduction hearing at which Monroe County Magistrate Basile reduced his bail from $8,000 to $4,000, but did not drop his felony charge (threats of terrorist acts).
In case you missed it, Holden has been in jail since last Thursday, when he was arrested for stopping work at a Mountain Valley Pipeline site in Lindside, WV by locking himself to welding equipment.
Although we are happy to have Holden out of jail, we must be clear: blockades and lock downs are not terrorism. The “threats of terrorist acts” charge leveled against Holden is a groundless attempt to quell direct action in a community that has actively resisted the MVP for years — one where work crews have faced five separate blockades in the past year, and which is overlooked by the mountain on which the first tree sits in the MVP’s path were erected in early 2018.
The felony charge is a fresh example of US police forces’ sordid pattern of using “terrorism”-related charges and investigations to target people who dare to stand against colonialism, war, animal exploitation, extractive industry, and other forces and institutions whose power the legal system is designed to maintain.
Becky Crabtree, a resident of Lindside who has herself taken direct action against the pipeline (in a blockade in her old Ford Pinto), says, “Holden Dometrius, charged with terrorism, courageously took a stand against the tyranny and profiteering of MVP. His action did not threaten or hurt a soul — hardly terrorism, even though those who stand to profit are screaming it the loudest. Mountain Valley Pipeline is under criminal investigation and yet they continue construction. They are the ones destroying this beautiful countryside — tearing up trees, roads, lush pastures, mountains, and sources of pristine water.”
Meanwhile, today is also DAY 240 of the Yellow Finch tree sits, which are still standing strong in the path of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We are still here, and we will not back down!
#nomvp #nopipelines #belikeholden #stillhere
Donate to support ongoing resistance to the Mountain Valley Pipeline: bit.ly/supportmvpresistance
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