"Shut It Down!" affinity group members face jail and fine for Vermont Yankee arrests
In this Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010 photo, Frances Crowe holds a sign while protesting at Entergy Vermont Yankee, in Vernon, Vt. Crowe, of Northampton, Mass., and several others were arrested after they walked past the main gate at Vermont Yankee. They read a statement calling for the closure of Vermont's only nuclear plant. AP Photo | The Brattleboro Reformer, Zachary P. Stephens.For some people, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) outrageous rubberstamp of a 20 year license extension at the Vermont Yankee atomic reactor, just days after the beginning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe in Japan at reactors of identical design (GE BWR Mark Is), would not be the final word on the subject. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has established that NRC has carte blanche over all matters of radiological safety at atomic reactors (never mind that NRC has been completely captured by the nuclear power industry, and is not enforcing safety regulations!), the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights still stands, including freedom of speech and the right to petition one's government for redress of grievances. Enter the "Shut It Down!" affinity group...
As reported by Eesha Williams in the Valley Post, six women, who are members of the "Shut It Down!" affinity group, will face trial, beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 27th in downtown Brattleboro, VT, for their non-violent civil disobedience arrests at Entergy Nuclear's Vermont Yankee atomic reactor. If convicted of the misdemeanor trespassing charges, they could be sentenced to a year in jail, and a $500 fine, Williams reports.
The six defendants are: Hattie Nestel (age 73) of Athol, Massachusetts; Paki Wieland (age 68), Nancy First (age 82), and Frances Crowe (age 93) of Northampton, MA; Betsy Corner (age 64) of Colrain, MA; and Ellen Graves (age 69) of West Springfield, MA.
The "Shut It Down!" affinity group has been arrested nearly two dozen times at the VY reactor, or in related actions, as at other Entergy Nuclear offices.
Beyond Nuclear board member Karl Grossman was quoted in Williams' article.
The Associated Press also reported on this story: "Asked how many time she had been arrested in such protests, [Frances Crowe] pointed to the fact that war, nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants continue to exist. 'Not enough,' she said. 'I don't know. I don't count. But I know I haven't achieved what I'm trying to achieve.'"
(The AP has reported that the defendants, if convicted, face not a year in jail, but rather three months.)
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