SENIOR CITIZEN’S WALK TO END MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL
for future generations
Where: State Capitol Building in Charleston, WV to Massey Energy’s Mammoth Coal mountain top removal site in Kanawha County, WV.
When: Thursday October 8 to Monday October 12.
Why: To end mountaintop removal.
ABOUT
The Senior Citizen’s Walk to End Mountaintop Removal will traverse 25 miles from Charleston to the Mammoth Coal mountain top removal site, which is owned by Massey Energy.
The march will begin on the morning of October 8 on the steps of the state capitol building in Charleston, WV. Each day, the marchers will walk between 4 and 6 miles. The march will culminate at the entrance to the Mammoth Coal mine site, where all those who choose to will engage in an act of peaceful civil disobedience
Food will be provided en route.
We are currently working to arrange housing with local churches and supportive families.
REGISTER
register by following this link!
DONATE
To make this event a success, we need your financial support as well. Please donate to Climate Ground Zero via Paypal and indicate that your donation is for the Senior Citizen’s Walk by writing “Senior Citizen” in the notes section. Or send us a check made out to Climate Ground Zero at:
Seniors March
c/o Mike Roselle
PO Box 163
Rock Creek, WV 25174
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
Black & White Promo Poster
Color Promo Poster
Day 1, Thursday October 8
9:00 AM to 9:30 AM, State Capitol
Assemble at the State Capitol Building for the March Kick Off Rally
1900 Kanawha Blvd Charleston, WV
9:30 AM, State Capitol
RALLY FOR AN END TO MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL!
10:30 AM, State Capitol
March down Kanawha Blvd 1.5 mi., turn left on Point Dr, turn right on Piedmont Rd 1 mi.
1:00 PM
Roadside lunch break near the intersection of Snow Hill Rd and Piedmont Dr.
Continue down Piedmont 1.4 mi, walk up onto Rte 60/Kanawha Blvd via Campbells Creek Rd.
Continue down Rte 60/Kanawha Blvd .6 mi., exit at Malden Rd., take Georges Dr. to Malden Dr.
4:00 PM
End at Poorboy’s Market 4008 Malden Dr, Charleston
Shuttle to the Charleston Environmental Council Building 2206 Washington St E, Charleston
6:00 PM
Seeds of Peace and Everybody’s Kitchen will provide dinner for marchers, hosts and other supporters, followed by group activities.
Shuttle to host family homes and overnight accommodations. (This is to be arranged between you, your host, and your driver)
Day 2, Friday October 9
9:00 AM, Environmental Council Building
Meet at the E Council Building to caravan to Day 2’s starting point.
2206 Washington St E, Charleston
9:30 AM
Cars leave for Poorboy Market to start the march.
4008 Malden Dr, Charleston
10:00 AM
March Begins down Malden Dr.
Malden Dr Bends to the left and back to the right, where it turns into Midland Dr.
Midland Dr. runs parallel to Rte. 60 for 2 miles.
12 PM
Roadside lunch break near the intersection of 34th St and Midland Dr.
1 PM
Resume March
Midland Dr. Turns into Dupont Ave/Malden Belle Rd. which runs for 3 miles parallel to Rte. 60 and passes the Dupont Chemical Plant.
4 PM
Day 2 march ends at the intersection of Maple Rd. and Dupont Rd.
6 PM
Dinner at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charleston
520 Kanawha Blvd W., Charleston
Evening Speaker: Larry Gibson
Shuttle to host family homes and overnight accommodations. (This is to be arranged between you, your host, and your driver)
Day 3, Saturday October 10
9:00 AM, Environmental Council Building
Meet at the E Council Building to caravan to Day 3’s starting point.
2206 Washington St E, Charleston
9:30 AM
Cars leave for the intersection of Maple Rd. and DuPont Ave. to start the march.
4008 Malden Dr, Charleston
‘
10:00 AM
March resumes at the intersection of Maple Rd. and DuPont Ave.
10:45 AM
Deliver a statement to Walker CAT offices at 1400 DuPont, Belle in opposition to their MTR-promoting misinformation campaign.
11:00 AM
Resume march as DuPont Ave. turns into Orchard Ave. which dog legs onto Rte. 60/DuPont Ave
1:00 PM
Roadside lunch break near the intersection of Fairview and Rte. 60.
4:00 PM
Day 3 march ends at the intersection of Willow Dr. and Rte. 60
6:00 PM, Unitarian Universalist Church
Dinner at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charleston
520 Kanawha Blvd W., Charleston
Evening Speaker, Jesse Johnson, Mountain Party
Shuttle to host family homes and overnight accommodations. (This is to be arranged between you, your host, and your driver)
Day 4, Sunday October 11
9:00 AM, Environmental Council Building
Meet at the E Council Building to caravan to Day 4’s starting point.
2206 Washington St E, Charleston
9:30 AM
Cars leave for the intersection of Willow Dr. and Rte. 60 to start the march.
10:00 AM
March resumes from the intersection of Willow Dr. and Rte. 60
1:00 PM
Roadside lunch break near the intersection of Melrose Rd. and Rte. 60
2:00 PM
Deliver statement to the American Electric Power Coal Plant in Glasgow WV, off of Rte. 60.
2:30 PM
Resume march down Rte. 60
4:00 PM
Day 4 march ends at the intersection of Britt Hollow and Rte. 60.
6:00 PM
Dinner at the Environmental Council’s Building
2206 Washington St E, Charleston
Training: Nonviolence
Shuttle to host family homes and overnight accommodations. (This is to be arranged between you, your host, and your driver)
Day 5, Monday October 12
9:00 AM, Environmental Council Building
Meet at the E Council Building to caravan to Day 4’s starting point.
2206 Washington St E, Charleston
9:30 AM
Cars leave for the intersection of Britt Hollow and Rte. 60 to start the march.
10:00 AM
March resumes from the intersection of Britt Hollow and Rte. 60
1:00 PM
Roadside lunch break near the intersection of Adkins Ln and Route 60.
2:00 PM
Final 2 mi. march to Mammoth Coal Company.
4:00 PM
Rally, Protest, and non-violent civil disobedience
5:00 PM
Those not arrested at the action, drive back to E Council Office.
6:00 PM
Dinner at the E Council Office
You can independently arrange housing for Monday night with your host home or through support volunteers.
If you have questions, call Andrew or Roland at 304-854-7372 , or read through the FAQ‘s below!
How old do I need to be? To be an official marcher, you need to be 55 years old. However, younger supporters are welcome!
Do I need to get arrested? No, you do not need to get arrested. Only those who choose to take part in non-violent civil disobedience will risk arrest. The rest of the march is perfectly legal.
Where will we sleep? Housing is being arranged with churches and families in the Charleston area.
Wait, if we’re sleeping in Charleston, how will we get there every night and how will we get back to the march route? Since you will be sleeping in Charleston, we are arranging transportation via cars and vans to and from the beginning and end point of each day’s march stretch.
How far will we walk? 25 miles over 5 days, for an average of five miles per day.
Do I need to walk the whole way? There will be support vehicles trailing the march in which you can rest.
What if I can’t commit to the whole march? Come when you can! We will make maps of each day’s route public closer to the time of the march.
How will we eat? There will be food provided for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We’re only walking five miles a day, what are we going to do the rest of the time? Speakers, including Larry Gibson and Green Party gubernatorial candidate, will present each evening. We will also organize group activities and offer trainings and planning sessions for building the movement to end Mountaintop Removal.
Should I bring a sign? Yes, please bring a sign, or multiple signs! If you don’t bring one, we will provide you with one.
Why would we do something illegal? Social movements throughout history have employed non-violent civil disobedience as a way to create change. Roland says it very well in his open letter: “No substantial gain in our efforts to continually evolve into a more humane and caring society has been made without the willingness of individuals—with non violence as both a creed and a strategy–to step outside the framework of law and tradition in order to correct wrongs when conventional measures had failed. The abolition of slavery, the enactment of civil rights legislation, the right of women to vote, the termination of the Vietnam war could not have come about without the help of the same kind of non violent, direct, and sometime unlawful action that we are using here to stop mountaintop removal.” By participating in the march, you are not signing up for civil disobedience. The civil disobedience is for those who choose to do so after the march ends on Monday afternoon.
If I choose to do civil disobedience, what can I expect? You can never be 100% sure on what to expect, and there will be legal briefings as part of the march’s evening programming at which point we will answer this question as best as possible.
Where can I park my car? You can park your car at a number of facilities around Charleston. We will release this information on the website closer to the time of the march.
What if I have health problems? Inform us of your health issues, and we will do all we are able to accommodate them. In addition to having trained medics in the support vehicles, we will notify local hospitals of the event before hand so that they are extra ready in case of an emergency.
What if it rains? Bring an umbrella and a rain coat. If the weather is dangerous, we will act accordingly.
What should I bring? Bring all the clothes you’ll need, including multiple layers for chilly mornings, moderate afternoons, and chilly evenings. Be prepared for rain and some cold. Bring signs, good walking shoes, something to write with, a lap top if you use one, and your hopes for a better tomorrow.
What’s the weather like? Well, you can never count on the weather to make sense, but here are the averages for that time of year: High around 70, low around 45. Be prepared for nighttime lows as low as 30 and highs in the 80s.
Leave a Reply