[Vision2020] Megaload Monitors Arrested Saturday for Obstruction

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (August 29, 2011) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Megaload monitors arrested Saturday for obstruction outside Coeur d'Alene

Wild Idaho Rising Tide community organizer, fellow opposition member
refused to give ID to state trooper

Two protesters of the Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil megaload that began its trip
from Lewiston late Thursday were arrested outside Coeur d'Alene on U.S.
Highway 95 while monitoring the shipment's progress early Saturday
morning.

Helen Yost said she and another woman had been part of a group that was
monitoring the load early Saturday when they were arrested by an Idaho
State Police trooper.

They were later charged with obstruction and failure to wear seatbelts.

Yost is community organizer for Wild Idaho Rising Tide, the environmental
action group that has been leading the fight against Imperial
Oil/ExxonMobil's plans to move oil refinery equipment through Idaho on its
way to the Kearl Oil Sands Project in Alberta, Canada,

As the shipment made one of its scheduled stops, Yost said the SUV she was
a passenger in pulled over to the side of the road ahead of the shipment
to wait to get back behind it.

An ISP vehicle parked in front of them on the side of the road, Yost said,
and a trooper approached them. He told them they were not wearing their
seatbelts and asked for their identification. Yost said she told the
trooper their seatbelts were off because they were parked at the time and
refused to give the trooper her license as she was a passenger, while the
other woman, who goes by Cici, did not have identification to give.

Yost and Cici were arrested and placed in separate ISP vehicles, Yost
said, and taken to the Kootenai County Jail.

Yost said there had been talk of a protest in Coeur d'Alene that never
picked up momentum.

The driver of the SUV, Sharon Cousins of Viola, ended monitoring of the
shipment and went to support the two women at the jail.

"Nobody continued monitoring at that point that we know of," said Cici.

Yost said while they spent about 18 hours in jail, supporters came up with
funds for their bonds, which were set at $300 each.

"It was an attempt to intimidate people who are here to monitor these
loads," Yost said of the arrests. "They didn't have any reason to arrest
us and bring us to jail like they did."

Cici said they were not read their Miranda rights or allowed to make a
phone call until they had been incarcerated for about 12 hours at the
jail, and she only gave her information to police when she was told she
could be held for an indefinite length of time.

"Interestingly, they referred to us at the jail as the Highway 95
protesters," she said.

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Not wearing seat belts?  The horrors!!

Book 'em, Dano!

Obstruction?!?!?  WHAT OBSTRUCTION?

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho