Coalfield Residents, MJS trace Massey’s trail of destruction

From July 19 through the 21st Coal River Valley residents and concerned people from around the globe came together to oppose Mountaintop Removal coal mining in the heart of MTR country. Each day highlighted a different site and a different atrocity perpetrated on the people of West Virginia by Massey Energy. From toxic dust storms and community displacement to enormous leaking dams, this 15 mile stretch of Rt. 3 has seen the full range of devastation brought on by a Massey MTR site.

Day 1: Marsh Fork to Montcoal
For the Sake of the Kids

On day one of the spirited three-day march, protesters marched past Marsh Fork Elementary School to Massey’s Montcoal facility. Marsh Fork is an elementary school that sits in the shadows of a coal-loading silo just 150 feet from the school and 400 yards from a 385 foot tall, 2.8 billion gallon, toxic sludge impoundment leaking in widespread areas. After a number of actions surrounding the school, an investigative reporter discovered serious discrepancies regarding property boundary lines between original maps and Massey’s recent permit applications.

The march then took participants passed the old Union Hall, a hotbed of radical unionism and militant strikes in the late seventies, which now sits abandoned after Massey energy successfully drove unions from the area in the eighties.

The elementary school is not the only school under assault from Massey mining operations. Demonstrators also passed by Marsh Fork High School, a high school which was closed two years ago due to declining population which many feel was due to a lack of good jobs in the area. This closure was met with strong community opposition from all sides. The building is now owned by Rowland land company, the same company which leases land for Massey's MTR sites.

While the march was met with counter demonstrators, holding professionally made signs in front of the elementary school, the day ended at the Massey’s Montcoal facility without any trouble.

Day 2: Whitesville, WV to Marfork, WV
What Happened to the Community?

The intensity of the event rose significantly on the second day when the march was met at Marfork by counter-protesters telling march participants to “go home.” The counter protesters were met by Julia Bonds. Bonds, leading the march, took the megaphone and told of her own families displacement at the hands of Massey energy. Ms. Bonds, a Goldman award winner and active member of Coal River Mountain Watch once lived up Marfork hollow, where the counter-protesters were stationed, but was forced to leave her hollow eight years ago when a Massey owned coal processing plant and 9 billion gallon toxic waste storage facility, the largest dam in the country, destroyed her community.

Participants of the march say they are concerned about the devastating environmental impacts of mountain top removal mining but also have deep concerns regarding further mechanization of coal extraction and the detrimental economic impact on local communities. Bonds emphasized that she and others do not want to drive jobs out of the valley. “Even though Massey Energy is from Richmond, Virginia, they would be welcome to do business in this valley, so long as they mine coal responsibly. ” Julia Bonds stated, adding, “ Massey needs to stop hiring outside miners from Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Kentucky, and hire our boys from right here in the valley to mine this coal underground.” According to the West Virginia Coal Association there were more than 100,000 miners employed in 1952 a little over a half century later there are fewer than 15,000.

Day 3: Whitesville to Sylvester
Protesters Challenge Massey to be a Community Partner not Corporate Outlaw

The third day's protests were focused on Sylvester, WV, where coal dust from a coal processing facility has filled the air of the small town, making black lung something everyone has to be wary of, not simply deep miners. The Sylvester Dustbusters, Mary Miller and Pauline Canterberry, are two Grandmothers who responded to this by wiping down their porches once a week ever since Massey removed the ridge top that kept the wind from reaching the coal stockpiles. Each week their white rags turn black with coal dust from the Elk Run Plant before they are labeled and stored in plastic bags. The two women sued Massey several times over a period of years. In response, Massey placed a large plastic dome around the stockpiles of coal, which according to the Dustbuster's rags, isn't working

The march from Whitesville to Sylvester took on a very somber tone. After a brief stop at the home of one of the Dustbusters, all of the participants donned white dust masks for the final stage of the demonstration. The marchers silently continued through Sylvester to the Elk Run entrance in a single file line. When the participants arrived, they sat down and maintained their silence. After a few minutes of chanting and insults, the counter-protestors, holding signs like "Ink, Pink, you stink", "Got soap" and "Go home, outsiders," quieted down. Residents protesting mountain top removal, along with their supporters, then rose, sang Amazing Grace, and marched away with their fists in the air.

Living Community Fair

Two days later, CRMW and MJS put on a Living Community Fair in the playground of Marsh Fork Elementary School. As had been the case during each step of the three day march, counter demonstrators lined up in front of the school. Communications between the two groups started out in an extremely heated argument which soon turned into a calm discussion during which each side shared its point of view, starting a dialog which will hopefully result in an understanding that we are not enemies.

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