nuclear-news

Four women, all members of the Shut It Down Affinity Group, pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges of unlawful trespass; two other members of the group were arraigned last month on similar charges.

The charges stem from a small demonstration at Vermont Yankee nuclear plant on Aug. 30, two days after Tropical Storm Irene struck the state, causing widespread damage, particularly in southern Vermont.

Windham County State’s Attorney Tracy Kelly Shriver declined to say what prompted the change in the informal policy, which was first put in motion by Shriver’s predecessor, Dan Davis.

Over the past five years of protests, the Shut It Down group has included 22 different women from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Members have been peacefully arrested a total 12 times. In addition, there were other protests at Entergy’s corporate headquarters in Brattleboro.

In recent years, demonstrators have either been arrested at the gates of the Vermont Yankee plant in Vernon, or at the corporate offices in Brattleboro. In most cases, the protesters either chain the gates to Vermont Yankee closed, or spray paint anti-nuclear messages on the driveway.

Vermont Yankee in the past had been the scene of large protests, with hundreds of people camping out on the grounds of the plant and being arrested…….

On Tuesday, Nancy First of Northampton, Mass.; Hattie Nestel of Athol, Mass.; Patricia Wieland, also of Northampton; and Ellen Graves of West Springfield, Mass., all said “not guilty” when questioned by Vermont Superior Court Judge David Suntag.

There was a small group of supporters who stood silently in the courtroom during the short arraignments.

Suntag explained to the protesters — all white-haired and in their 60s or 70s — that they were entitled to apply for a public defender to represent them in court, but all said they didn’t want any legal help……

Another group of protesters, who were arrested for the first time at Vermont Yankee’s gates on Sept. 12, are due in court later this month.