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The mushroom-shaped cooldown plume over the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont, stood out vividly against the morning sky on Tuesday, June 19, as the Shut It Down affinity group of the Citizen's Awareness Network made its way to Windham County District Court to answer charges of trespass and disorderly conduct for an April 25 demonstration at the plant. Photo by Rebecca Coffey
Women of the Shut It Down affinity group of the Citizen's Awareness Network
offered their reasons for shutting down the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Courtroom 1 of Windham County District Court in Brattleboro, Vermont, on Tuesday, June 19. From left, they are Paki Wieland of Northampton, Massachusetts; Marcia Gagliardi and Hattie Nestel of Athol, Massachusetts, Dorthee (her full name) of Wendell, Massachusetts; Ellen Graves and Frances Crowe of Northampton; Julia Bonafine of Shrewsbury, Vermont. Photo by Mary-Ann DeVita Palmieri
BRATTLEBORO, Vermont -- Seven women of the Shut It Down affinity group of Citizen's Awareness Network took the floor in Windham County Courtroom One on Tuesday, June 19, to publicly explain their demands to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon. Ironically, the power plant spewed a mushroom-shaped cooldown plume high into the air above the Connecticut River in Vernon as the women made their way to the courtroom. Informed that charges of trespass and disorderly conduct against them had been dropped by State's Attorney Dan Davis, the seven demanded that the court to hear their statements. "We deserve to have the charges against us heard," said Hattie Nestel of Athol, Massachusetts, who led the women from the courtroom's spectator area toward the judge's bench, which Judge Katherine Hayes immediately vacated. Shouting "Get back! Get back!" several court officers blocked the women's access to the area between counsel tables and the judge's bench. State's attorney staff still at the prosecution table also fled the courtroom as the women insisted on being heard. Nestel contended that failure to hear the charges violates the women's right to due process. "Take it up with the state's attorney," said a court officer. "You have no business here." Approximately fifteen spectators remained in court as the women read statements condemning the Entergy Corporation, which operates the power plant, and the governments of Vermont and the United States for deceiving taxpayers about dangers and hidden subsidies. Court officials milled around during the women's ten-minute recitation, punctuated by demands to shut down Vermont Yankee. Some officials listened to the demands while others ignored the women and carried on conversations as if nothing were happening. Members of the Shut It Down affinity group have acted five times at Entergy Headquarters in Brattleboro or at the Vernon plant to urge the shut down of the nuclear plant. They have spray painted danger signs on the Entergy driveway, deposited effigies at the main Entergy sign, attempted to chain shut the doors of the Entergy headquarters, and waited to present an indictment to the president of Entergy. On each occasion, they were arrested and charged with trespassing or disorderly conduct and ordered to appear in the district court to answer them. In every instance, the state's attorney ordered that charges be dropped. In several instances, the Brattleboro or Vernon police departments advised the women that charges had been dropped, but repeated telephone calls to the state's attorney's office resulted in no response. The women said they decided to act to call attention to "collusion between the state's attorney's office and the Entergy Corporation." Members of the Shut It Down group are Paki Wieland, Frances Crowe, and Ellen Graves of Northampton, Massachusetts; Hattie Nestel and Marcia Gagliardi of Athol, Massachusetts; Dorthee (her full name) of Wendell, Massachusetts; and Julia Bonafine of Shrewsbury, Vermont. "We will take this up with the state's attorney," the women of Shut It Down vowed as they left the courtroom. They have made plans to contact him soon. Marcia Gagliardi
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