Matt Landon deserves a Medal of Honor—he’s a modern day Tennessee Volunteer and American hero.
After billion of gallons of toxic coal sludge broke through the TVA coal ash pond on Dec. 22, he and the United Mountain Defense nonprofit organization have worked full-time through the holidays and winter to deliver aid and water, assist the affected residents, collect data, and provide professional air and water monitoring.
National and international media have relied on Landon’s dogged and insightful reporting behind the scenes. Landon has given tours to untold numbers of legal and legislative aides, including Robert C. Tanner the Majority Senior Investigator for Senate Committee On Environment & Public Works.
Considering the gross negligence of the TVA, and the whopping $825 million bill for clean up costs, you would think the TVA had enough sense to recognize Landon’s and UMD’s important role and accept their help.
Instead, the TVA police have not stopped harassing, detaining, and arresting Landon and other members of the United Mountain Defense.
Amazingly, Landon was arrested again last week for giving a ride home to an elderly disabled Swan Pond resident, Eva Hewitt. The two were returning from the Tennessee Environmental and Conservation public meeting held earlier that day, where Eva was one of several community members who spoke at a citizen’s press conference about health concerns relating to the TVA disaster. Eva is blind in one eye and does not drive so Matt was returning her to her home on South Swan Pond Road.
Eva said, “It’s a shame they arrested him when he was just trying to help me out and give me a ride home.”
“I feel that arresting me today is just a continuation of the ongoing harassment I have experienced from the TVA police,” Landon said. “TVA has tried to prevent United Mountain Defense from conducting independent water testing, deploying independent air monitoring, delivering bottled water to locals and working with the community of Roane County and they have consistently harassed me while doing this work. The citizens of Roane County deserve more from TVA and I do not plan on abandoning them in this time of need. “
Three days ago, two other United Mountain Defense volunteers were detained by cigar-chomping TVA police that would have made Bull Connor, the police scourge of the Civil Rights Movement, proud. The TVA police arrested volunteers for setting up independent air quality monitoring stations. The monitoring program was initiated in response to complaints by local residents of worsening respiratory problems since the disaster and UMD’s discovery that TVA’s air testing is inadequate.
Visit the TVA Coal is Killing Tennessee blog for the latest updates on the continuing scandal of the TVA coal ash disaster.
Copenhagen, U.S.A. December 7
Comments
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randino Posted 8:52 am
09 Mar 2009
The result is a toxic atmosphere for dissent. We have police departments that do not hesitate to make mass arrests of demonstrators regardless of the pretext. The goal is not to make a case in court. The goal is to suppress dissent.
Everyone has meekly agreed to free speech zones at such events as political conventions. No one so much as notices mass arrests of the press at such events. When a political convention comes to town the bill of rights goes out the window.
We have draconian security laws such as the Ohio Patriot Act, which has chilled the atmosphere for dissent or any form of civil disobediance in the state, because to do is to risk being charged with a felony and your organization being declared a RICO type organization.
In ways large and small, we have become like the proverbial boiled frog. Today we live in a soft police state. The bill of rights had might as well be printed on toilet paper. That way it would be of some use.
Randy Cunningham
Cleveland, OH
Randy Cunningham
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Wolverine Posted 9:12 am
09 Mar 2009
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snk Posted 12:43 am
04 May 2009
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