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http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8862~3121839,00.html

Seven arrested in Entergy protest

By CATE LECUYER
Reformer Staff

BRATTLEBORO — As she stepped into the back of the Brattleboro Police van, Nina Keller’s cry of “No Nukes!” was met with applause from the protesters surrounding her.
Keller, along with six others, was arrested for trespassing Monday during an anti-nuclear protest at Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee headquarters on Old Ferry Road. The protesters’ intent to be arrested was forewarned in a call placed to the Reformer on Sunday.
About 40 people, mostly women from Massachusetts, began picketing in the Entergy parking lot around 10 a.m. Some called for the immediate shut- down of the Vernon reactor, others for more measures to prevent a radiological emergency.
After an hour of testimonials and songs from the crowd, seven women walked across the lot, approached Entergy’s office and were peacefully intercepted by about a dozen state and local police.
When they crossed the tape to deliver a statement to Brattleboro Police Chief John Martin, they were arrested, given a citation for trespassing, and later released, with a Dec. 13 court date.
Sunny Miller, executive director of the Traprock Peace Center in Deerfield, Mass., said the protest was a form of “direct action.” And, even at the risk of arrest, protesters wanted to communicate concerns about the Vernon reactor.
“We are organizing appeals and demands directly to the decision-makers operating this facility,” Miller said. “Our goal here has nothing to do with being arrested.”
Larry Smith, manager of communications for Vermont Yankee, said power plant officials notified police a week ago, after receiving a press release from the Traprock Peace Center which organizers of the event were affiliated with.
He said the release made it clear that protesters intended to blockade doors to the Entergy office, preventing employees from leaving, which would create a safety hazard.
But on Monday, protesters didn’t even get close to the doors.
During protests, Smith said Entergy allows people to assemble in a designated area. In this case, it was the parking lot across the street from the main building.
Protesters requested to speak to Entergy officials, but were denied for the time being.
Smith said talking during the demonstration could jeopardize public safety, but he agreed to speak with the group at a later date.
“Obviously, they have concerns about the operations of the plant,” Smith said, adding that he tried to answer some of the questions he received.
“Some of their concerns were not ones we could give them answers for,” he said. He said an evacuation plan, for instance, should be brought up with the towns, not the power plant, and health issues should be discussed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Terry Carter, 55, of Brattleboro, Elizabeth Wood, 27, of Dummerston, Nina Keller, 59, and Sally Shaw, 49, Lynn M. Crough, 45, Maureen Briggs Carrington, 55, all of Massachusetts, were arrested on trespassing charges Monday.
Protesters made demands for legislative action, a switch from nuclear energy to alternative energy sources, and an evacuation plan in Massachusetts towns like Gill and Wendall, located just outside the 10-mile radius zone from Vermont Yankee. The federal government requires the power plant to alert towns within a 10-mile radius of an emergency.
“We living in Massachusetts are subject to the pollution downwind, but we have no say,” said Sally Shaw, who lives in Gill, Mass.
Medical problems like infant mortality, autism, breast cancer and thyroid diseases were some of the few aliments that protesters said were a proven result of radiation. Shaw was one of the three organizers suffering from a thyroid problem, and said she was afraid of the repercussions radiation from the plant could have on her 7-year-old daughter.
“I am dreadfully concerned about the implications of that, but I also feel that we love our community and do not want to be forced to leave it,” she said.