Actress Daryl Hannah arrested? See the video, photos and find out more about the Daryl Hannah West Virginia Mine protest in which she, NASA scientist James Hansen, and former U.S. Rep. Ken Hechler were among 31 people arrested for protesting against mining.
The 48-year-old actress known for her movie roles in Kill Bill, and Splash (which first made her a major Hollywood star), was arrested alongside the other protesters on June 23, 2009 for obstructing traffic on a road near the Massey Energy coal processing plant in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Prior to the arrests, hundreds of protesters had been rallying approximately 300 feet away from the plant’s coal storage silo, on the grounds of Marsh Fork Elementary School, in opposition to mountaintop mining which involves the blasting of ridgetops.
All protesters were released after being cited, according to State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous, who went on to state that an unnamed woman who had been in the midst of a crowd of mining industry supporters (some of whom were workers at the plant), was charged with misdemeanor battery.
Prior to the incident that saw Daryl Hannah arrested, the actress is quoted as saying:
“It’s not necessary…If you do it wisely, there are ways to use renewables. It’s realistic for everybody.”
The Daryl Hannah West Virginia Mine protest involvement not the first such instance that has seen actress and longtime environmental activist Daryl Hannah arrested in protests. Previously, in 2006 she was arrested in L.A. protesting the bulldozing of a large urban community garden in South Central Los Angeles.
According to reports, prior to the Daryl Hannah arrest, she and NASA scientist James Hansen, and 94-year-old former Congressman Ken Hechler were on a stage at the rally, but were drowned out by mining supporters with an air horn and motorcycles.
Regarding the Daryl Hannah West Virginia Mine protest in which he and fellow protesters were arrested, James Hansen, the scientist who is director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies at Columbia University, reportedly criticized the Obama administration for not banning mountaintop mining altogether, although the administration has plans to increase regulation of the practice.
Here are several pictures from the protests. More photos and the Daryl Hannah arrested video and West Virginia mine protest video below.
Photos: www.wenn.com
