Grandmother Sentenced to County Jail for Defending Community and Earth

Madeline Shaw with her children and grandchildren, along with Pramilla Malick and James Cromwell

SlateHill N.Y.  Half of the group known as the Wawayanda-Six were called into a local town court this evening for missing a deadline to pay a fine emanating from a civil disobedience action to halt construction of a controversial 650 MW fracked- gas power plant project being built by Competitive Power Ventures, in Orange County.

Represented by prominent civil rights attorney, Michael Sussman three of the six defendants refused to pay the $375 fine after being found guilty by Judge Timothy McElduff despite irrefutable testimony  by prominent scientists that the project did constitute an imminent harm necessitating their actions. The other three paid their fines last week.

The controversial project is at the center of a major pay-to-play corruption scandal involving Governor Cuomo’s former top aides. While a trial based on criminal charges is set to begin in October, and one former aid has already pled guilty, construction continues.

Yesterday the community along with prominent scientists and public figures held a press conference urging Cuomo to immediately halt the project. The scientists claim that the project will increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least “ten percent” and depend on fracking in nearby Pennsylvania creating both an environmental and climate emergency. Cornell University Professor, Anthony Ingraffea” said the the plant was approved due to “ignorance, deception, and corruption”, and explained how the company lied in their air permit applications.

One by one: grandmother, Madeline Shaw;  mother and activist, Pramilla Malick; actor and activist James Cromwell; each announced their refusal.

While attorney Michael Sussman plans to file a motion for a stay, all three now must report to the court on July 14th from where they will be sent to the Orange County jail.

Asked by the press how this sentence will impact their personal lives, Madeline Shaw, two generations of family standing behind her said,  “I have to do this. My family bought our house in 1949. I will have to move because of this project. This is about our health, our children’s health, our grandchildren’s health”.

Pramilla Malick, founder of Protect Orange County said, “This is going to be a great hardship for my children and my family. But I cannot bring myself to feed the corruption that tramples on the lives of so many people”

James Cromwell commented, “I hope the people of this Orange County, people of this state, all over this country see the injustice of this decision and realize that we must are stand together to stop this”

Sussman referenced a news story that reported that CPV was not needed and compared the actions of these individuals to the great civil rights movement, “CPV is not needed to meet the energy needs of the State of New York.  These people are very courageous, but we need more people, as we did in the civil rights movement, to put their bodies on the line. There is no greater issue of our time. We have dramatic undisputed testimony that the higher court must see.”

On Our Way, On the French Way, Getting back onto the Trail from Le Puy to Montbennett the Camino Francaise

The week on L’Isle Sur la Sorgue, Provence was fantastic.    But by Sunday it was time to get moving again. So we got in the car and drove to Le Puy, to begin the Camino Francaise on its Westward path toward Santiago.  We hope to go as far as Toulouse.  Its our forth summer of these trips, including two in Spain and last Summer in Italy.  Each year is different and sometimes very very difficult.  The feelings are never quite the same.

Getting on the road, we drove through lovely country roads, stopping at a Sunday market, full of books, secret treasures, etc, picking up a black and white photo and making our way for a Sunday lunch.

We drove through the windy roads to Le Puy where trail begins, up, up, up, the windy roads took us, entertaining the Tour De France, small villages and woods in the distance. Some of the trees reminded me of Carmel; others of Italy last summer.

We finally dropped off the car in Le Puy, a delight to be surrounded by the bike culture of this medieval city welcoming the Tour De France and the hikers for this popular wing of the Camino de Santiago.

We dropped off our bags in the room only to find signs of bed bugs everywhere.  And bad memories came back. So Caroline ran, successfully procuring a new room down the street, before we made our way up to the Cathedral for our pilgrim credentials.  The beauty of this space is hard to describe.  There is not a bad angle anywhere.  The place teems with character, an oddball gargoyle here, a cat in a window there, a view through a window or door of an ancient city just in the distance.

At the Cathedral, everyone seemed more devout than us.  The kids feel self-conscious about being tourists. But we really are all immigrants in this world.  Its ok to be outsiders.

Pray for the families, notes a sign by burning candles at the church.

“Pray we’ll get through this,” noted Caroline, a devout agnostic, feeling anxious about what lies in store for all of us.

I could barely sleep, with all the scenes of the city pulsing through my head, dreams of other worlds, exotic adventures teeming through my mind. Travel often brings these uncertain feelings.

We left early the next day.   The quiet of breeze of the morning flowing through our faces. Up, up, up we walked out of town, excited, looking back at Le Puy. Walking we recalled the first day last year when I broke my arm on the Way of St Frances.

Walking Caroline starts to wonder, who am I, what I am?  How did I get here, the sweat filling her head.

It starts to drizzle a bit.  Already we’ve encountered bed bugs, wild dogs, and crazy dreams this Camino.

I’m walking with my brother, number two, and her eleven-year-old cousin from Stockholm.  Number one walks with mom.

Number one walks with Mom.

And we make our way through the windy 18 k to Montbennett, past fields, farms, decaying ruins, and a few cows and sheep.

Number two plays queen and “I Sing the Body Electric” as we walk, singing along.

Will and I talk about Dad and our other adventures on the road, passing hamlet after hamlet, with trees taking over the old crumbling brick buildings.

Caroline and number one stroll, nap, take a few breaks in the country, sitting the Chapel of St Roche.

Arriving, everything is closed.

Closed for vacation, notes the sign.

But we find a farmer who sells us cheese.

The proprietor gives us some wine.

And we welcome Caroline and number one who eventually join us with wine and fresh cheese.

I’m surprised people in the countryside do not commit suicide, notes number one, sitting in the country.  The road offers a jarring comparison with home. It helps remind us what we have, a place to return to called home.  But as we walk, that strange feeling of being home envelops us.  

Tomorrow, we’re off for another 15 K.