Midwest Action Network

HAUBSTADT - Local authorities took an I-69 protester into custody after about 15 protesters blocked the entrance of highway contractor Gohmann Asphalt's Haubstadt yard, locking themselves to some equipment.

Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle said Kathleen Cornetta, 21, Zionsville, was arrested on an initial misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief. She is accused of releasing air from the tires on a semi tractor-trailer in the paving company's yard.

The yard is owned by the company which has been awarded a contract for the first two miles of the project beginning in Gibson County, roughly paralleling the path of Ind. 57.

Michael Becker, of Fresno, Calif., a spokesman for the group of protesters, said they arrived around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and blocked the entrance in protest of the business working on the project. “We don't tolerate profit off of destruction of natural resources,” he said.

As local authorities arrived, protesters chanted, “You can put our friends in jail, but we will drive the final nail.”

Dozens of police officers were at the scene, but no incidents of violence were reported.

Gibson County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Sharon Werne arrived at the protest and negotiated with the demonstrators. She kept in contact with Prosecutor Rob Krieg by cell phone and said the protesters were issued an ultimatum that if they refused to disband, they would be charged.

“We finally gave them a 15 minute time frame for them to disperse or they would be arrested,” she said.

The devices which the protesters used to bolt themselves to the truck were confiscated, Werne said.

At the scene, one protester locked his neck to a bar on the roof of the semi with a bicycle lock, while others chained themselves to the truck's axles.

“They are creating a lot of problems for these innocent people here,” Ringle said.

The driver of the semi, owned by Riverton Trucks of Corydon, declined to give his name, but said he was delivering sand and rock to Gohmann Asphalt. When he attempted to leave the facility, the protesters stood in front of his truck. He said one protester talked to him while Cornetta deflated his tires.

He said he chased Cornetta away from one front tire, but she had already deflated the other.

He said he asked Gohmann's manager what he should do and the manager said to lock the truck and let the protesters have it.

“It's not right that they didn't get locked up,” he said of the remaining protesters. “They cost Gohmann Asphalt thousands of dollars and me a half a day of work.”

A protester said in an e-mail this morning that the event was “in retaliation” of a tree-sitting eviction along the I-69 construction path in Gibson County June 20.

Several Haubstadt residents watched the protesters and police officers. “Haubstadt - gateway to danger,” mused resident Dave Ingler. “And the scary thing is they (the demonstrators) can vote.”

Krieg said in a statement the protesters have a right to peacefully demonstrate, but not to disrupt the activities of a business.

“While the protesters were allowed to leave, they and all others should know that (Wednesday's activities) would serve as a warning,” said Krieg. “Future protesters who refuse to follow guidelines or who in any way violate the criminal code will be prosecuted.

“We believe that allowing the protesters to leave of their own accord was the best way to defuse a potentially volatile situation. However, if these or any other individuals take this as a green light to break the law, they will find my patience and mercy will have been exhausted.”

Cornetta, the woman arrested during the protest, was being held on $1,300 cash bond as of Wednesday evening, but Werne said she would recommend to a judge that she be released on her own recognizance. Cornetta is scheduled to be in court today.

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I-69 Opponents Lock Down at Asphalt Yard, Halt Work

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Opponents to I-69 shut down business at a Gohmann Asphalt site for three and half hours on Wednesday, disrupting the normal flow of operations, clogging construction traffic, and costing Gohmann several hours worth of lost profits. Gohmann Asphalt has been awarded a $25 million contract to construct the first 1.77 miles of Interstate 69 north of Evansville, Indiana, a road that will displace 450 families, destroy thousands of acres of farmland, forests, and wetlands, and contribute to the increasing exploitation of the global South through free trade.

Protesters arrived at Gohmann Asphalt’s construction yard in Haubstadt, IN at 10 AM Wednesday morning. While one individual stopped a truck leaving the site, others deflated the tires, immobilizing the vehicle. Four individuals locked themselves to the undercarriage beneath the truck, and yet another climbed on top and locked his neck to a bar that was fixed to the trailer. Within minutes a long line of trucks stretched down the road, some trying to enter the facility and several trying to exit. As the lines grew longer, supporters arrived and began chanting, holding banners, and supporting those locked on with water and food.

Police arrived rapidly, and arrested one individual for allegedly deflating the truck’s tires, but seemed dumbfounded by the people locked on to the truck. As more and more law enforcement officers and agencies arrived, a crowd of spectators rapidly grew outside a nearby gas station, watching as business came to a halt. Police numbers grew throughout the day, until there were at least thirty different patrol cars, vans, and undercover cars. The numbers did nothing to help them, however, and they seemed increasingly befuddled as to how to remove the protesters.

Those locked on underneath the truck quickly gathered a small crowd of supporters, and filled the air with chants and songs. Spirits remained high throughout the day, and the truck provided shade for everyone but the police, who stood around conferring in small groups in the 95˚ weather.

“This action is in direct response to the careless and life-threatening eviction of the tree-sit and the ongoing repression of anti I-69 organizers in the region,” said Alex Lindenberry, one of those locked on to the truck. “We are also here to hold Gohmann Asphalt accountable for the construction of I-69, for the evictions of landowners, the destruction of communities here and south of the border, and for the environmental devastation that this road will bring. As long as Gohmann and other companies continue to work on this road, resistance will continue. Repression breeds resistance.”

After several hours of lost business, a police liaison negotiated the safe departure of everyone present, contingent on two demands: first, that all those present not be charged or harassed by police at a later date as a result of this action, and second that the comrade arrested for allegedly flattening the tires be released on their own recognizance. Those involved in the action decided to unlock and leave rather than stay and be arrested, deciding that the hours of lost business and the media spectacle were more important than symbolic arrests. As a result, those locked down walked away without even being identified, freeing up more bodies and legal funds to continue the fight.

This is only the most recent action in the struggle against I-69, and in retaliation for the eviction of the tree-sit. Although less than a week has passed since the eviction, office demos against involved corporations have taken place across the country, from Indiana and Kentucky to Maryland and Michigan and over 50 people marched with torches in Bloomington, IN last Saturday.

More and more people arrive in Southern Indiana every week to join the struggle against the NAFTA Superhighway. Fighting I-69 is not solely eco-defense, but is a direct attack on infrastructure necessary for the expansion of global capitalism. As the pace of construction accelerates and police repression increases, it becomes more vital than ever for more people to join the battle. Houses are under constant surveillance, cars are being tailed, and individuals are being repeatedly detained in multiple counties. The level of repression is a clear indicator of the degree of fear felt by the state and the corporations involved with this highway. They can film our houses and follow our cars, but there are more of us every day. If you ever thought about coming to Indiana, now is the time., for a month, or until construction ends. They can evict our camps and arrest our friends, they can try to force us underground, they can try to intimidate us, but we will never let them build this road.

Visit stopi69.wordpress.com for more information, or email roadblockef@yahoo.com to get involved!

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Roadblock Report Issue #2 Now Out!, Media Office Website Launched
Friday, June 27 2008 @ 12:28 PM CDT
Contributed by: I69 Media Office
Views: 0
AnnouncementsThe second issue of the Roadblock Report, the independent publication of the anti-I-69 campaign, is now available for reading and distributing.

You can find both the first and the second issue on the website of Roadblock Earth First! (stopi69.wordpress.com/resources) or on the media archive section of the I-69 Media Office's website (i69mediaoffice.wordpress.com/media-archive).

In this issue:

- letter from the editors about media/independent media
-breaking news stories about
• the tree sit eviction,
• Bloomington torch march,
• retaliatory actions across Indiana,
-action reports on:
• home demos,
• solidarity demos,
-updates on
• the nature walks on the route,
• the community barbq,
-opinion pieces about
• the flooding in Indiana,
• a response to allegations of violence in office demos.
-I-69 Listening project interview
-Critical thought piece on the future of the ‘anti-globalization movement.

The second issue is formatted in 8.5”X11”, to be double sided. Email roadblockreport@yahoo.com if you would like a different format.

As well, the I-69 Media Office is announcing the launch of its new website, http://i69mediaoffice.wordpress.com . The I-69 Media Office is an independent clearinghouse for anti-I-69 information and action reporting. Please explore our ‘under construction’ website for more information on what we do.

***Especially for affinity groups coming to Indiana to take part in autonomous actions against I-69, please read the “about us” page and find out how we can help you do successful media work while in Indiana.***

The I-69 Media Office can be reached at i69media@yahoo.com, if you have any questions about what we do or any suggestions about the content of the website.