Twenty people were arrested in acts of civil disobedience on Monday, Martin Luther King Day, at the gates of the Crestwood natural gas facility in Schuyler County.
Ithaca Is Bluegrass Jan. 23-25
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In a statement, the protesters cited Martin Luther King and noted that one of those arrested — former Tompkins legislator Pamela Mackesey — had marched with the great civil rights leader in 1963.
“I was there in the March on Washington in 1963, and almost nothing is the same from that time except for one thing: the fight for justice and equality for all of us,” Mackesey said.
The blockade took over three hours and led two trucks to be turned away, according to the protesters. (Protesters have opposed the expansion of a natural gas facility on the shore of Seneca Lake; the reaction to the rallies has been mixed.)
All 20 people arrested were charged with trespassing and released, the statement said.
Some photos from the protesters of today’s events:
Two-hundred people have now been arrested in total since rallies began in October, according to a statement from the protesters.
Here’s the complete list of those arrested today:
— Mike Black, 62, Lakemont, Yates County
— Leslie Brack, 47, Ithaca
— Caroline Byrne, 38, Ithaca
— Deborah Cipolla-Dennis, 49, Dryden
— Jodi Dean, 52, Geneva
— Marty Dodge, 72, Canandaigua
— Celeste Froehlich, 37, Ithaca
— Lyn Gerry, 58, Reading
— Jennifer Johnson, 68, Corning
— Nancy Kaspar, 56, North Rose
— Pam Mackesey, 69, Ithaca
— Edith McCrea, 46, Ithaca
— Ed Nizalowski, 67, Newark Valley, Tioga County
— Jean Olivett, 68, Danby
— Kirsten Pierce, 45, Burdett
— David Sanchez, 26, Rochester
— Sarah Schantz, 61, Odessa
— Coby Schultz, 54, Springwater
— Seth Thomas, 34, Lodi
— Kip Wilcox, 70, Ithaca
Previous Ithaca Voice coverage of Crestwood
Schuyler County sheriff says Crestwood protests are straining law enforcement – “When we have to deal with this every day we are putting our citizens at risk for a real emergency.” Ithaca Voice
4 more from Tompkins County arrested at Crestwood gates –Four more people from Tompkins County — and nine in total — were arrested protesting at the gates of the Crestwood gas facility on Thursday.Ithaca Voice
5 from Tompkins, including 90-year-old woman, arrested at Seneca gas protest – Five people from Tompkins County, including a 90-year-old woman, were arrested Monday for their role in a protest of a new gas storage facility near Seneca Lake. Ithaca Voice
Hundreds descend on Schuyler court as Cornell prof, other protesters face charges – Hundreds of people filled the parking lot of Reading Town Court in Schuyler County Wednesday night for the arraignments of 10 protesters. Ithaca Voice
Drummer for Ithaca’s Sim Redmond Band among 9 arrested at Crestwood gates – A drummer in the Sim Redmond Band was among 9 people arrested Wednesday at the ongoing protests of the Crestwood expansion. Ithaca Voice
Ithaca College student, 19, among 10 arrested at Seneca Lake gas protest – An Ithaca College student was among 10 people arrested for protesting a proposed gas storage facility on the shore of Seneca Lake on Monday. Ithaca Voice