TVA Coal Ash Disaster Matt Landon arrested helping blind grandmother by TVA police 5-5-09

[Vorpalbite]

All I can say is ; If you arent a NAZI punk - you better get used to being treated like this

[Siskuwihane]

Amazing that someone who is "just taking a grandmother home" has a video camera with him and his lawyer on the phone.

[annebonnylives]

UMD volunteers ALWAYS have cameras on them for documentation. Thats why we have over 15 people on video at different times getting harassed by the tva cops.

[Akablizzard]

why are you trying to be the next Rosa Parks ... There are so many other ways to help with this travesty, why does some doushe bag like this kid have to be local

[FreedomJunkie420]

Are you serious??!!? This "douchebag" and others like him are standing up for these people,and actually for all of us!! If everyone tried to become the next Rosa Parks then we wouldn't be in the grasp of these facist pigs! This is still America and we didn't steal this land by sitting idol or bowing down!!!Wake up PLEASSSSE!!!

[operationnorthwoodz]

The winning defendant can file a Bill of Costs within 30 days(?) with the court clerk to recover all court expenses, and may get attorney fees paid via Equal Access to Justice Act (civil) and Hyde Amendment (criminal) 18 U.S.C. § 3006A , and a 1983 civil lawsuit for false arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

[annebonnylives]

So much for "open and shut"--today in court TVA made more outrageous claims and the judge THREW OUT ALL THE CHARGES. Not one stuck--nada--ALL of them dismissed. Sometimes the legal system works.

[annebonnylives]

Not open or shut at all. What about the other 4 videos and 10 UMD volunteers who will all testify in court about TVA harassment? The TCA for car trespass says really clearly that the person has to be warned first--and IF they don't leave you cite--with no risk of incarceration.

[hiramabiff672]

TVA P: "You know the procedue." "There's a stop sign there that says Do Not Enter." 

Matt: "I'm reaching into my pocket for my driver's license, for I WAS driving."

Pretty open and shut case.

[annebonnylives]

1. His car WAS registered. TVA took a red piece of paper from him that they made to hang on peoples rear view windows--it was nothing official. They TOOK it from him then arrested him for not having what they took.

2. Again--the private property he was on when arrested was the grandmothers that he gave a ride to--not TVA's. The road was public. Even the statute for vehicular trespass says folks have to be ordered to leave first.

Your facts are wrong. You didn't do you research.

[WataugaWaterSentinel]

Hey Annebonnylives,

Don't let BrownTown666 get your goat. Anyone can plainly see Mattt is the good guy in this bazzar and senseless arrest.

& BTW thanks for all you do. Concerned citizen's would not bait you this way.

[hiramabiff672]

Why did he blow past the stop sign?

Why did they take his red tag?

State law says any Police can follow individuals onto private property in order to affect an arrest. Plus the TVA POLICE have jurisdiction anywhere in the state. Do your research!

I would assume when they took his little red piece of paper, he was given his warning then not to come back without the proper tag. That would have been his warning.

He brought attention to himself by failing to stop at the stop sign.

[Photocrazy40]

They took his tag because he isn't a resident in the Swan Pond area. UMD needs to take their video cameras and harass people in other places because Roane County is getting tired of them causing problems. As for Matt Jones....he need to go back to the rock he climbed out from under!!

[simplygoodwoman]

Actually, Roane County needs MORE of UMD and others STANDING UP for the people here. Please, do NOt speak up for the whole of Roane county that they are "tired of them" (UMD) as that is NOT the case. Way to go Matt!

[BrownTown5555]

Its kind of silly posting political type stuff on YouTube, I'm sure all the people here are intelligent rational people, but in this sort of forum there is no way to convey it. I couldn't even get out the first paragraph of an explanation of my point of view in the limited space provided by this comment box.

[TonyBeazley]

so why didn't he have a tag cause he obliviously has taken them home before...a private TVA road is just that... but there is some info missing on this...I would like to hear both complete side of this story....

guess this is close to the coal ash spill a while back...

[annebonnylives]

1. It is not a private road--its a public road that TVA unilaterally established a road block on and assumed police powers. A public road that was not impacted by the ash blowout.

Why don't you call TVA and ask them why their employees have continually harassed UMD volunteers in our water and air testing of the community.

We are not claiming to know why TVA is so threatened by UMDs scientific testing--we would love a real excuse.

[annebonnylives]

Oh, and they took his tag. So they took his tag then arrested him for not having the tag they took from him.

[TonyBeazley]

Did you call your news station and see if they can investigate it? How can they take a public road that still has people living in houses on it?

[annebonnylives]

"I told you before that if you drove through here you would need to have a local resident with you!"

"I did sir--she is right there" as local resident walks up behind.

Pause..."I told you you needed to have a tag when we took your tag from you"

This clearly shows the officer was fishing for a way to arrest matt. He told him he was in trouble because he didn't have a local resident with him when he came in. When he said that he did--and proved it--the officer changed course.

[annebonnylives]

If airborne, pollutants below 10 microns in diameter can have adverse health effects. In particular, airborne pollutants below 2.5 microns (called PM 2.5), called fine particles, and are unhealthy to breathe and have been associated with premature mortality and other serious health effects, according to EPAs website. the mask is for health and safety. Every single material handling sheet says wear a mask.

[annebonnylives]

Our ash results

1) in the first sample, 19.0% of particles were below 2.5 microns and 47.2% were below 10 microns, and 2) in the second sample, 21.0% of particles were below 2.5microns and 55.0% were below 10 microns.

[ctech689]

Someone should call Alex brown lol.

[BrownTown5555]

I really suck at this whole YouTube thing...

[stopstripminingnow]

How much does TVA pay you to blog for them, BrownTown?

This is blatant intimidation and harassment. TVA doesn't like the bad publicity it continues to get for poisoning Kingston. They are using these deploratory tactics in a desparate attempt to shut people up.

These police need to stop being tools. Have they no integrity?

[BrownTown5555]

Well, first off, one police officer hardly speaks for TVA as a company, but I really doubt he'll spend more than a night in jail, I assume you and your boys are gonna bail him out tomorrow morning, or are you gonna have to wait for Monday? He'll have the charges dropped, so really the only loser is TVAs PR department, and ya'll are the winners, so whats there to complain about?

[ctech689]

Browntown and Roane county cops are on T.V.A payroll : ) We should just shut up and not ask questions I quess.

[BrownTown5555]

These people try to subvert the law on a continuous basis and we are supposed to feel sorry for him when he gets arrested? Driving an old lady home is just a publicity stunt to TRY and get arrested. The officer is just silly for giving him exactly what he wanted.

[annebonnylives]

This is possibly the stupidest comment I have ever read. Matt gave a grandma a ride home KNOWING TVA would arrest him for it? Man--you need to put the bong down.

[lane2295]

I agree with Browntown, this video really just looks like a publicity stunt. I mean, try to step back from the situation and watch the video again. The guy with the mask on really just looks silly. He presents lame excuses when questioned by the police. If this video was intended to make a statement for your cause, the population at large isn't going to "get" what you are trying to say.

[mhilton913]

I agree, this is a ridiculous comment. Do you really think Matt was able to see the future, and know that he would be arrested for giving this woman a ride home? This is not a publicity stunt, this is an example of someone who is trying to do the right thing, and is being prosecuted for it. i don't see any lame exuses, except for the police officers reasoning for this arrest. When the true state of the air quality is finally made public, this mask won't look so silly.

[annebonnylives]

Your an idiot. He tried to get arrested by driving a grandmother home--put down the bong.

[BrownTown5555]

I mean if you want to go ahead and claim its an act of disobedience then that's fine, but claiming he wasn't trying to get arrested is a bold face lie. Why else would you go break the law in a place you have no reason to be and where you have already pissed off the cops.

[annebonnylives]

1. If we were going to plan something like this we would not of done it at night.

2. If we were going to plan for this we would of had...a plan. We were caught completely flat footed--we didn't even have bail money ready.

3. We didn't have a press release ready, we didn't have any jail support ready, we didn't have any press on site--we didn't notify the press in advance--none of that was in place.

If he had been trying to get arrested--if that had been our intention we would of prepared.

[alexblackwelder]

Wow, I am shocked.

[mountainjustice]

I guess it isnt bad enough that TVA has poisoned all the people in Kingston, now they are going to arrest them too. TVA needs more bad publicity, they are already responsible for the worst environmental disaster since Chernobyl.

[lane2295]

Civil State in America! Who imposed the "Trespass whenever I please" Law? Where the hell are the parents for raising a person with no respect of authority and personal property rights?

[stopstripminingnow]

Lane, I'm glad your parents taught you to think for yourself. Haha. That was sarcasm. I figured you didn't realize it.

People like Matt respect a higher authority than TVA. People like you will ignore your conscience if it means winning the approval of the folks in charge.

America has more people like you than people like Matt. This is why we are waay behind other countries in labor and environmental standards.

[lane2295]

And so claiming respect for some "higher authority" allows a person to not abide by any authority that they personally deem lessor?

[alexcaulfield]

Police State inside America! Who imposed Marshall Law? Where the hell is Obama when American's get treated this way?