Massey Coal assaults cause security guards to resign

Violent assaults against tree-sitting protesters escalate, resulting in the resignation of two Massey security guards.

Sun, Sep 06 2009 at 9:59 PM EST

Photo: Climate Ground Zero

It's pretty clear who runs the town of Pettry Bottom, W.Va., the site of a battle between environmentalists and coal behemoth Massey Energy.

One week ago, protesters from Climate Ground Zero began a sit-in ... 80 feet above the ground on a national forest slated for "demolition" by the coal giant who has pioneered the environmentally devastating practice known as mountaintop removal (MTR).

Since then, several of the protesters have had their lives threatened. Last week, Massey guards were instructed to fell adjoining tress in the attempt to knock the protestors from their arboreal perches, a blow which (if aimed properly) would have caused instant death. When that didn't work, several Massey contractors scaled the occupied trees and began felling pieces of the tree directly above the protesters.

Meanwhile, the police did nothing.

Mounting pressure on Massey guards to forcibly remove the protesters caused six of the guards to resign. The guards were told "they would never work in the state again."

Here's their account. Read the whole story on The Huffington Post.