Baltimore Nonviolence Center

Saturday, October 3, 2015

The Problem of Crime Is Really a Community Health Issue

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Baltimore Activist Alert - October 6 - 7, 2015

19] Voting Rights Act – Oct. 6

20] New Jim Crow – Oct. 6

21] Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards – Oct. 6

22] Peace vigil – Oct. 6

23] Dreaming Radical Resistance – Oct. 6

24] Race & politics – Oct. 6

25] Black Lives Spokes Council – Oct. 6

26] Vigil against JHU’s drone research – Oct. 6

27] Peace Academy courses – Oct. 6

28] Refugees in Europe – Oct. 7

29] Larry Egbert tells his story – Oct. 7

30] Fundraising workshop – Oct. 7

31] Latino Heritage Month – Oct. 7

32] Novel: activist goes underground – Oct. 7

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19] – The Center for American Progress and the American Constitution Society will host Ari Berman, Laughlin McDonald, and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) in a panel discussion on the history of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the current state of voting rights in America at the Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor, WDC, on Tues., Oct. 6 from 9:30 AM to 11 AM. Introductory remarks will be given by Katie O’Connor, director of policy development and programming at the American Constitution Society, and the panel will be moderated by Julie Fernandes of the Open Society Foundations. Largely seen as the one of the greatest achievements of the civil rights movement, the Voting Rights Act, or VRA, of 1965 enfranchised voters throughout America by outlawing measures taken by states to limit African American participation in the democratic process. The legislation was widely heralded as a colossal victory for communities of color and did more to empower African Americans than perhaps any law since the Fourteenth Amendment. Yet, in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a critical provision of the law and effectively rendered a significant portion of the act toothless. Now, just months after the 50th anniversary of the VRA, renewed conservative efforts to limit voting rights demonstrate that the nation needs new laws to guarantee access for all Americans to the most fundamental pillar of U.S. democracy. Contact Tanya S. Arditi at tarditi@americanprogress.org or 202.741.6258.

20] – For generations, the people most directly impacted by different forms of racial and economic oppression have led the movements to end those various permutations of discrimination. Today, formerly incarcerated people and people with criminal records are leading the fight to end mass criminalization and the New Jim Crow. Come and have lunch with one of these emerging leaders fighting for the restoration of the human rights of people with criminal records in the IPS Conference Room, 1112 16th St. NW, Suite 600, WDC, on Tues., Oct. 6 from 12:30 to 1:30 PM.

21] -- On Sept. 21, 1976, agents of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet detonated a car bomb that killed IPS colleagues Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean diplomat and director of the Transnational Institute, and Ronni Karpen Moffitt, an IPS development associate, in Washington, DC. Each year in October the Institute for Policy Studies hosts the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards to honor these fallen colleagues while celebrating new champions of the human rights movement from the United States and abroad. 2015 marks the 39th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards. IPS will lift up the outstanding work of Daryl Atkinson and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Almudena Bernabeu and the Center for Justice and Accountability at the Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P St. NW, WDC 20005, on Tues., Oct. 6 from 5:30 to 9 PM. Go to http://act.ips-dc.org/site/Calendar?id=100461&view=Detail.te. Call 202-787-5272.

22] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th St. & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Oct. 6. Call 215-426-0364.

23] – On Tues.., Oct. 6 at to 6 PM at the Hotel Indigo, 24 W. Franklin St., be a part of Dreaming Radical Resistance: Defining Black LGBTQ Liberation. Marriage Equality is now law of the land. Yet 40% of all homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, 17 Trans* women of color have been murdered in 2015 alone, and reports of police brutality are rising. As we continue to fight for social justice, this panel will ask how we can build a definition of freedom that truly leaves no one in our community behind. The SpeakFire! Series is a brave space for Black LGBTQ folks and allies to reflect on our histories of great resistance and love.

The Center for Black Equity-Baltimore, STAR TRACK Adolescent Health Program at University of Maryland, GLSEN Baltimore, Black Trans*Advocacy, Sistas of the “T”, and FreeState Legal Project have partnered together to host these panels with the understanding that all black lives matter. Contact Saida at sagostini@freestatelegal.org or 410.625.5428. See www.freestatelegal.org.

24] – On Tues., Oct. 6 at 6:30 PM at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V Sts. (2021 14th St. NW), WDC, join April Ryan, Washington Bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks and author of “The Presidency in Black and White,” for a discussion of race in relation to politics, the news, and American culture, past and present—with special focus on the recent rise in racial incidents, their origins, and possible solutions.

Ryan will moderate a panel of distinguished writers including: Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, author of “Let’s Get Free,” and currently a law professor at Georgetown University; Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown professor of sociology, and author of sixteen books, including Can You Hear Me Now? and April 4, 1968; and Joy-Ann Reid, National Correspondent for NBC/MSNBC, former managing editor of TheGrio.com, and author of “Fracture,” a profile of the Democratic Party in the age of the Clintons and Obama. See http://www.politics-prose.com/event/book/race-america-today-panel-discussion-april-ryan-paul-butler-michael-eric-dyson-and-joy-ann.

25] – At 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC, on Tues., Oct. 6 from 6:30 to 9 PM, attend the 5th DC Movement for Black Lives SpokesCouncil. This meeting is open to solidarity groups, and organizations can send two representatives. Read the “5 Pillars of White Supremacy in DC” to gain a better understanding of the group. This meeting will focus on debriefs from the subcommittees and planning for November's week of action. From 6:30 to 7 PM, this is for unaffiliated individuals to get connected to organization. The Spokes will meet from 7 to 9 PM. Email wellexaminedlife@gmail.com.

26] – On Tues., Oct. 6 there will not be a protest against JHU's drone research, as the Pledge of Resistance intends to gather outside the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St, Baltimore 21201. An alleged war criminal is part of the Baltimore Speakers Series: Leon Panetta. Panetta is scheduled to speak at 8 PM. After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years, President Clinton selected Panetta as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 1993, and then in 1994 appointed him White House Chief of Staff. President Obama selected Panetta to run the CIA in 2009, and later he was Secretary of War from 2011–2013. We will protest Panetta from 7 to 8 PM to condemn war, killer drone strikes and income inequality. RSVP to Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

27] – The Peace Academy has four course offerings ranging from family peace-keeping strategies to nonviolent communication tactics. Each is to be conducted at The Perry School, 128 M St. NW, WDC, or interested parties can arrange a course at their particular sites. Registration can be completed online at www.lffp.org or by contacting MJ Park at mjpeace@gmail.com or 240-838-4549. Details for the first course is listed below.

Course I: Live Teach, Peace Teach has three sessions: 1] Growing peace from within on Tues., Oct. 6 from 7 to 8:30 PM; 2] Using multi-sensory tools to teach peacemaking on Tues., Oct. 13 from 7 to 8:30 PM; and 3] Disarming one's heart and resolving a conflict on Tues., Oct. 20 from 7 to 8:30 PM. The cost is $45 per session or $120 for all three.

28] – Come to American University, Kay Lounge, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, on Wed., Oct. 7 at noon, as the Kay Spiritual Life Center strives to provide forums for students to explore contemporary issues of ethical concern. Their signature lunch-time lecture series, Table Talks, brings together the University and wider D.C. communities several times each semester to reflect upon the pressing issues of the twenty-first century. Their next upcoming series about refugees in Europe will be moderated by SIS Professor Hrach and sponsored by the Office of University Chaplain, with the following speakers: Ali E. Erol, professor in the School of International Service at American University, Susan Fratzke, a Policy Analyst and Program Coordinator with MPI's International Program, where she primarily works with the Transatlantic Council on Migration, and Nancy Iris, the Deputy Director of the Office of Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Department of State. Lunch will be provided. RSVP at kslu@american.edu or 202-885-3321.

29] – On Wed., Oct. 7 starting at 7 PM, hear Beginnings and Endings: Stories about birth and death, creation and destruction, sparks and flame-outs at the Senator Theatre, 5904 York Rd., Baltimore 21212. Dr. Larry Egbert will be one of the participants, telling a seven minute story. The Creative Alliance kicks off its 10th Anniversary Season with a night of true, personal tales at the Art Deco gem that is the Senator. Start with drinks and live music from chamber rock band Community Center. At 8 PM, hear the Stoop Stories. A Stoop 3-show Season Pass is $55, and it can be purchased at http://brownpapertickets.com/event/2220417. Buy a single ticket for $20 at http://brownpapertickets.com/event/2220399. All seats are general admission. You can buy tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Got a true, personal tale to tell for this -- or any -- Stoop show? Email three sentences summarizing your story to info@stoopstorytelling.com. Give a beginning, middle and end.

30] – Come to the Washington Peace Center, 1525 Newton St. NW, WDC, on Wed., Oct. 7 from 7 to 9 PM for a fundraising workshop. This interactive workshop will discuss why grassroots fundraising matters, dispel myths about who gives, and help us get over our fears in fundraising. It will focus on strategies for end-of-the-year fundraising and components of an annual grassroots fundraising plan.

This training is part of the DC Trainers’ Network's monthly program, which is a structured, interactive space where people can share skills and gain confidence in their training abilities and everybody is both a teacher and a learner. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/622578941217326/.

31] – On Wed., Oct. 7 from 7 to 10 PM, on behalf of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and recognize the important contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. GHRC will be hosting an evening of great music and food at Haydee’s Restaurant, 3102 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, WDC, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet other supporters and learn more about the work of GHRC. The restaurant is generously donating a portion of sales from the night to GHRC. Contact GHRC Board Member Janet Hernandez at janet.hdez@gmail.com.

32] – On Wed., Oct. 7 at 7:30 PM @ Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201, Diana Block presents her book “Clandestine Occupations - An Imaginary History” on Wednesday October 7, 7:30PM @ Red Emma's. When San Francisco activist Luba Gold goes underground in 1984 to support the Puerto Rican Independence movement, a far-flung network of women is confronted with the risks of prison, the terrible costs of betrayal, and the exhilarating possibilities of love through struggle. Based on lived experience, Diana Block's bold new novel spans two generations of radical women, their lovers, children and friends. This is revolutionary feminism in epic form, from the passions of Solidarity to the awakenings of Occupy and even beyond--to a beautifully imagined insurgency of the Future. Block has been an activist since the 1970s and a founding member of San Francisco Women Against Rape, Prairie Fire Organizing Committee, and California Coalition for Women Prisoners. She is the author of the memoir “Arm the Spirit: A Woman’s Journey Underground and Back.” Call 443-602-7585. Go to http://www.redemmas.org.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Friday, October 2, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 2 - 5, 2015

Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 2 - 5, 2015

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.

The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers

2] Web site for info on federal legislation

3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists

4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa

5] Two friends are looking to buy a house in Baltimore

6] See film SOPHIE SCHOLL: The Final Days – Oct. 2

7] Anti-drone vigil – Oct. 3

8] American Genocide – Oct. 3

9] Exploring humanist giving – Oct. 4

10] Peace in Palestine? – Oct. 4

11] Nonument Ceremony – Oct. 4

12] Peace in Palestine? – Oct. 4

13] Pentagon Vigil – Oct. 5

14] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Oct. 5 – Oct. 9

15] One DC meeting – Oct. 5

16] Documentary on Honduran coup – Oct. 5

17] Film 5 BROKEN CAMERAS – Oct. 5

18] The Ebola Epidemic – Oct. 5

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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-366-1637.

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski at Verizon.net. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.

THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.

4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.

Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Francine Sheppard at 5639B, Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia 21044. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Francine at 410-992-7679 or FrancineMSW@aol.com.

5] – Janice and Max are looking to buy a house in Baltimore. Let Max know if you have any leads—410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon dot net.

6] – Go to the Peace Center of Delaware County, 1001 Old Sproul Road, Springfield, PA 19064 for the First-Friday Free Large Screen Film Series on Fri., Oct. 2 at 7 PM to see SOPHIE SCHOLL: The Final Days (2005, 117 minutes, starring Julie Jentsch & directed by Marc Rothermund. It is in German with English subtitles. It received a 2005 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign language film. Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments.

Based on long-buried historical records, the film brings to life with astounding authenticity the true story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine and the last six days of her life from arrest and interrogation, to brutal show trial and execution. Call (610) 544-1818 or visit www.delcopeacecenter.org. The screening is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. Go to http://www.delcopeacecenter.org/ or call 610-544-1818.

7] – On Sat., Oct. 3, from noon to 1 PM, join the Phila. Center City Anti-War/Drone Death Walk/Silent Vigil. Gather at 12th & Market Sts. Wear back; signs and white masks are provided. RSVP Marge Van Cleef at 267-763-1644.

8] – On Sat., Oct. 3 at 1 PM at the Baltimore American Indian Center Heritage Museum, 113 South Broadway, Baltimore, hear a talk “American Genocide; The Only Good Indian is a Dead Indian.” Go to www.museum.org or call 410-675-3535.

9] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On Oct. 4 the platform address is “Exploring Humanist Giving” (video presentation) by AJ Chalom, of the Humanist Giving Program Coordinator for Foundation Beyond Belief, a humanist charitable foundation. AJ introduced the reality that religious people give more to charity than non-believers. She discussed why it is important for secular people to increase their visibility within the philanthropic world, and she showed examples of the best practices used to identify worthy beneficiaries we can support. This is a video of her platform address delivered to the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago on May 3, 2015.

Chalom lives in suburban Chicago, and is passionate about the work of Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB). A lifelong humanist, she has worked extensively within the Humanistic Jewish movement. As the humanist giving program coordinator at FBB, AJ focuses on researching and selecting potential beneficiaries. Learn more about her work at foundationbeyondbelief.org. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

10] – On Sun., Oct. 4 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM at the East Columbia Library, 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia 21045, hear Daoud Nassar, director of the Tent of Nations, who will speak on the topic “Planting Seeds of Peace in Palestine.” The Tent of Nations, located outside of Bethlehem, is on the Nassar family’s farm, which is surrounded on three sides by Israeli settlers. It is an internationally known peace center which attracts visitors, including Israelis, who join together to plant trees, harvest olives, teach at the Women’s Education Center, and work in the summer Children’s Camps. Daoud is a Christian who works with people of all faiths. Their motto is “We refuse to be enemies.” The talk is sponsored by the Committee for Palestinian Rights. Email CPR_Maryland @yahoo.com.

11] – On Sun., Oct. 4 people are coming together to challenge the destruction of the McKeldin Fountain. From 4 to 7:30 PM there is a Nonument making workshop at the Current Gallery, 421 N. Howard St., Baltimore 21201. From 7:30 to 8 PM, join a twilight Parade and walk to McKeldin Fountain, Light and Pratt Sts. At 8 PM participate in the Nonument ceremony in McKeldin Square.

12] – On Sun., Oct. 4 at 5 PM at 1 Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda 20816, hear Daoud Nassar, director of the Tent of Nations, who will speak on the topic “Planting Seeds of Peace in Palestine.” The Tent of Nations, located outside of Bethlehem, is on the Nassar family’s farm, which is surrounded on three sides by Israeli settlers. It is an internationally known peace center which attracts visitors, including Israelis, who join together to plant trees, harvest olives, teach at the Women’s Education Center, and work in the summer Children’s Camps. Daoud is a Christian who works with people of all faiths. Their motto is “We refuse to be enemies.” The talk is sponsored by the Westmoreland UCC Middle East Committee. Cal 301-229-7766.

13] -- There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop. The next vigil is Mon., Oct. 5, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

14] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org. The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org.

15] – All supporters of ONE DC, whether long-time members or new joiners, are welcome to come to Fall Member Orientation at 614 S St. NW, WDC, on Mon., Oct. 5 at 6 PM. Engaging with ONE DC’s work, whether it be through the People's Platform, the Black Workers Center, or one of four committees, is encouraged. Your talents and time are essential to make ONE DC a viable and powerful organization because of your direct involvement in the work. Member Orientation is designed to allow you to identify exactly what activities you want to devote your time and energy to, engage with staff and member-leaders, and join other members to keep the work strong and growing. As ONE DC gears up for major outreach this fall, it needs your active engagement and support. See http://www.onedconline.org/orientation.

16] – Come to the Real News Network, 231 Holliday St., Baltimore, on Mon., Oct. 5 at 6:30 PM to see RESISTENCIA: a Special Screening of a Thrilling Documentary on the Resistance to a Honduran Coup. “When a 2009 coup d'état ousts the only president they ever believed in, these farmers take over the plantations. With no plans to ever give them back.” Filmmaker Jesse Freeston will be present to lead a post-film discussion.

On June 28 2009, the first coup d'état in a generation in Central America overthrows the elected president of Honduras. A nationwide resistance movement is born, which takes inspiration from the daring act of the farmers of the Aguan Valley to take over 10,000 acres of palm oil plantations claimed by the country's largest landowner, and a key player in the coup. Filmed over four years beginning with the coup itself, 'Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguan Valley' follows three key members of the farmers' resistance as they convert the plantations into a workers co-op and agitate for a more democratic state, all while trying to survive the violent reaction of the landlord and the coup regime. The Q & A will be from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.

17] – At the University of Maryland, College Park on Mon., Oct. 5 from 7 to 9 PM, see an extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, “5 Broken Cameras,” a deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the film was assembled by Burnat and Israeli co-director Guy Davidi. Structured around the violent destruction of each one of Burnat’s cameras, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows one family’s evolution over five years of village turmoil. Burnat watches from behind the lens as olive trees are bulldozed, protests intensify, and lives are lost. “I feel like the camera protects me,” he says, “but it’s an illusion.” Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1656323194644389/R.

18] – The Ebola Epidemic: One Year Out will be discussed at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, WDC, on Mon., Oct. 5 from 7 to 9 PM. This will be an interactive discussion on the international response to Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone with people who served on the ground. The panelists will discuss the delivery of care, the protection of care-givers and the detection of cases in the community by surveillance and case finding. The event will also highlight that global health is directly correlated with global security and the importance of strong health systems. Visit

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ebola-epidemic-one-year-out-tickets-18635607604?aff=ehomesaved.

To be continued.

Ex-Massey CEO Faces Criminal Trial for Fatal Mine Explosion: A First in Coal Country

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/32709-ex-massey-ceo-faces-criminal-trial-for-fatal-mine-explosion-a-first-in-coal-country

Zillman writes: "In America's long, dangerous history of mining, not once has a coal mine owner been charged criminally for a worker's death. Coal miner fatalities, in some ways, have been considered a business expense-tragic, but an unavoidable cost in an industry that harvests the mineral from stubborn earth. All of that changed with the indictment of Donald Blankenship."

Ex-Massey CEO Don Blankenship speaks to reporters in April 2010, one day after the deadly blast at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. (photo: Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP)

Ex-Massey CEO Faces Criminal Trial for Fatal Mine Explosion: A First in Coal Country

By Claire Zillman, Fortune

01 October 15

Not once has an American coal mine owner been charged for a worker death. Until now.

In America’s long, dangerous history of mining, not once has a coal mine owner been charged criminally for a worker’s death. Coal miner fatalities, in some ways, have been considered a business expense—tragic, but an unavoidable cost in an industry that harvests the mineral from stubborn earth.

All of that changed with the indictment of Donald Blankenship. The former CEO of Massey Energy will stand trial on Thursday at a federal court in Charleston, W.Va. He faces up to 31 years in prison for allegedly conspiring to violate safety laws and lying to regulators about safety practices at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va., where a 2010 explosion killed 29 workers—the nation’s deadliest mining accident in 40 years.

Blankenship is facing criminal charges when other mining executives have not—in large part—because federal prosecutors say he was intimately involved in Upper Big Branch’s output to an extraordinary degree. He demanded reports every half hour on its production—they were sent to his home by fax on nights and weekends.

“One important factor is there’s a long paper trail indicating Blankenship’s deep involvement in minute decision-making in individual mines in the Massey empire,” says Patrick McGinley, a law professor at West Virginia University who worked on an independent investigation of the 2010 accident. The level of detail that Blankenship demanded from his subordinates isn’t something you find from a chairman of the board or CEO of many major corporations—coal or otherwise, McGinley says.

Because of Blankenship’s extensive knowledge of the day-to-day operations of Upper Big Branch, federal prosecutors have sought to hold him personally responsible for the 835 violations of federal mine safety standards they found at the mine from January 2008 through the time of the fatal explosion.

On April 5, 2010, methane gas infiltrated the Upper Big Branch mine 1,200 feet underground. When a longwall shearer—or cutting machine—penetrated the mine’s roof, it served as a fuse, lighting airborne coal dust that served as fuel and triggering successive blasts that tore through miles of the mine, asphyxiating some miners and pummeling others against the cavern’s walls and roof.

An investigation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration in November 2011 reached a conclusion similar to those of two other inquiries—that the 29 miners perished because Massey disregarded hazards that resulted from “a series of basic safety violations at [Upper Big Branch]” that were “entirely preventable.”

The indictment of Blankenship that a federal grand jury handed down in November 2014 characterizes him as a money-hungry executive who micromanaged Upper Big Branch to grow profits, even if it meant disregarding safety measures.

“Blankenship knew that [Upper Big Branch] was committing hundreds of safety law violations every year and that he had the ability to prevent most of the violations that [Upper Big Branch] was committing,” the indictment says. “Yet he fostered and participated in an understanding that perpetuated [Upper Big Branch’s] practice of routine safety violations, in order to produce more coal, avoid the costs of following safety laws, and make money.”

Under Blankenship’s leadership, there was a scheme at Upper Big Branch to warn underground workers when federal mine safety inspectors were on their way to examine underground areas of the mine. “[I]t was standard practice for a guard to radio the Upper Big Branch mine office … to warn employees in the mine that the inspectors were on their way,” according to the indictment. Then underground supervisors would “direct miners to quickly cover up violations of mandatory federal mine safety standards that the mine routinely committed.”

The indictment points to instances in which Blankenship allegedly exhibited disregard for workers’ safety. In November 2009, a section of the mine flooded and a federal mine safety inspector issued a shutdown order out of fear that miners could drown as they walked through the four feet of murky water. After the section had been idle for some time because the flooding prevented safety examinations, Blankenship ordered production to start again. When an executive resisted, Blankenship chastised him for “letting [the Mine Safety and Health Administration] run his mines.”

Blankenship, who’s credited with transforming Massey into an industry giant, stepped down as CEO with a $12 million retirement package in December 2010 just before Alpha Natural Resources’ $7.1 billion acquisition of the company. He has denied wrongdoing and maintains that an inexplicable flood of natural gas caused the deadly blast. His lawyer, William Taylor III, declined to comment.

Alpha Natural Resources paid $209 million in criminal penalties related to the explosion to settle with the Department of Justice in 2011, and two of Blankenship’s subordinates have already pled guilty to criminal charges. His lawyer, William Taylor III, declined to comment.

There’s a sense of anticipation of Blankenship’s trial in West Virginia, McGinley says. But the jury’s verdict is almost secondary to the fact that he is being prosecuted in the first place.

The indictment has helped chip away at a longstanding culture that doesn’t hold mining companies responsible for workers deaths or injuries, McGinley says. The prosecution, along with more vigorous, surprise safety examinations of mines, “is a deterrence to future conduct—not just with regard to the person who’s been indicted but it’s sent a message to similarly situated corporate managers that flouting the law can have consequences even when historically it never has,” he says. “Whether that’s a lasting message, that has yet to be determined.”

C 2015 Reader Supported News