COAL JUST DOESN’T SEEM TO CARE, 2

Arrested UMD Volunteer tells his side of the story
March 7, 2009 (Roane Views)

[In an apparently flagrant and arbitrary act of police harassment, United Mountain Defense community organizer Matt Landon was arrested by TVA police while driving a blind grandmother home from a press conference and hearing about the harmful health effects of the December Tennessee coal ash spill. Here are a few excerpts from his account.]

"At the close of the 30 minute question and answer session I moved to the front of the room and announced the independent findings for the much smaller coal ash particle size and presented scientific documentation of the findings, video of trucks tracking coal fly ash onto public roads, and formal 118 A complaints for violations of the Clean Water Act to all of the government officials present…

"After the hearing I drove Eva Hewitt back to her home. Eva is blind in one eye. She has no car or driver's license and she is raising her 16 year old granddaughter by herself. Eva has been very willing to accept UMD's offers to take her and her granddaughter to the doctor, hospital, grocery store, and to community meetings so that she doesn't have to walk alongside the Swan Pond Rd. Eva has developed a deep lung cough, headaches, and skin rashes as she walks along the road kicking up coal ash dust that continually falls from the vehicles leaving the disaster site.

"The only help TVA has offered Eva to date was to put herself, her granddaughter and her dogs up in a hotel for the first night of the disaster. Eva can't get a lung doctor to see her for her cough…[Two doctors] stated they could not see Eva and that she would have to go to a TVA lung doctor. Eva was later told that if TVA did pay for her to go to a doctor she would have to sign a waiver stating that she could not sue TVA. I would advise against signing…

"So as I was driving down Swan Pond Rd I called Chris Irwin to make sure that he was on the phone as I approached the road block. This has become my standard operating procedure whenever dealing with the TVA police force since Dec 25, 2008 when TVA began increasing their resistance to UMD's activates. I have video taped every interaction that I have had with the TVA and local police and these videos show that I have been completely compliant with their orders.


"So as I approached the TVA roadblock on Swan Pond Rd I did not see any officer at the post. As I have many times before I slowed down to a slow rate. Neither Eva nor I saw any officer at the post. There was a TVA police vehicle parked at the post with no officer outside. I have traveled through these police check points numerous times when there were no officers at the post without any problems. I have rolled through the check points without stopping numerous times without a second glance from the TVA officers. So I proceeded to drive through the checkpoint at a slow rate. I continued on the public road to Eva's house. As we pulled up in Eva's house and began to get out of the vehicle there were two TVA Police cars that drove up and parked behind us.

"At this point the TVA officer began a line of questioning and action that is clearly recorded on the following YouTube Video Link..."

By sheer coincidence, a passenger in the car was able to video the incident. From annebonnylives via YouTube.

"My red tag TVA pass was confiscated on 2-24-09 however at the time of arrest I had two letters from different Swan Pond Residents stating that I had their permission to visit their homes at any time. I also had a Swan Pond Resident in the vehicle with me at the time of arrest and as I slowly drove past the checkpoint. One of these residents called the TVA police on 2-24-09 to request that I have my pass reinstated…

"There have been some questions about if I was trying to get arrested and I would like to put those questions to rest once and for all. I am a certified teacher. I have spent a lot of time and money to get this teaching certificate and would not intentionally do anything to endanger my chances of getting a teaching job…I have worked very hard to make sure that I did not get arrested during my time of doing work at TVA's coal ash disaster. Really and truly if I was trying to get arrested I would have done so A LONG time ago…This arrest was not planned. There was no plan for posting a bond, bail, or paying any fines. There was no jail support team, media team, media message, or any other items that would show that this arrest was premeditated…

"Well if TVA has any video proof of me personally disrupting vehicle traffic or impeding the cleanup of the disaster site I would like to see it…I was charged with trespassing in a vehicle, not obeying a traffic control device, and entering a restricted area. My court date is March 23, 2009 at 9 AM. There are two conditions of the bond order…1) I am not allowed on TVA property at the Kingston Steam Plant…2) That I will not interfere with the construction or recovery effort concerning the ash spill at the TVA Steam Plant…I did not enter a plea…

"I ended up at the Bradley County Jail in Cleveland, TN in another holding cell. By 4PM Friday I was nearly processed and was then entered into the general population… While I was on the inside I heard from a reliable source that I may have been transported due to a rumored protest at the Roane County Jail…Neither I nor anyone from United Mountain Defense will ever call for any protest in Roane County…

"Thanks to all of the other volunteers, friends, and family that have offered support and stood by me through this accidental arrest. Thank you to all of the residents of Roane County who were concerned about my health and safety…"