All these protesters were in favor of the groundbreaking today for the
Wiregrass Solar LLC plant, but they wanted to object to the
related biomass plant proposed for next door.
Here you can see Valdosta police saying they’re going have to
issue a summons to some protesters because they didn’t have a permit,
Valdosta Mayor Fretti saying the permit process is simple,
and Dr. Michael Noll president of Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy (WACE)
explaining that they only heard of the event recently,
and besides he’d be happy to pick up a shovel and help with the
groundbreaking for the solar plant:
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Eventually Valdosta Police Chief Charles Frank Simons
showed up and the police decided merely to require the
protesters not to bunch together, rather to spread out.
”
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
This had the amusing effect of making almost every camera angle include
a protest sign.
So far as I know, nobody got arrested nor even a summons.
I guess the city didn’t want to turn it into an even bigger press event.
Brad Lofton and Allan Ricketts of the
Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA)
invited the press, but the press don’t work for VLCIA.
Pictured are Jade Bulecza of WALB
David Rodock of the Valdosta Daily Times (VDT);
there was also a videographer there from VSU.
Seeing news, they recorded it.
More later on the actual groundbreaking.
-jsq
Short Link: