Monday, July 14th

Gohmann Asphalt/Gravel Yard Shut Down By I-69 Protestors
stopi69.wordpress.com

*Call the Gibson County Jail at 812-385-3496 to demand the release of all 15 people arrested. All are engaged in jail solidarity- refusing to give their names or to cooperate with the booking process. Call now!*

This morning, over 20 people opposed to the construction of Interstate 69 shut down work at the Haubstadt Asphalt Yard belonging to Gohmann Asphalt & Construction, Inc. Five of the opponents locked themselves together in a circle at the yard’s gate, accompanied by five others dedicated to keeping them as comfortable as possible in the face of summer heat and the threat of police violence. With construction slated to begin this week, opponents are demanding that Gohmann immediately drop their contract for work on I-69. Additionally they demand that Gohmann and their accomplices, Riverton Trucking, Inc., drop a spurious civil suit brought against the only I-69 opponent arrested at a previous lock-down at Gohmann Asphalt’s Haubstadt facility.

Gohmann A&C is the primary contractor with the Indiana Department of
Transportation for the construction of the first 1.77 miles of Section 1
of the proposed highway from Evansville to Indianapolis. Several weeks
prior, five opponents chained themselves to a truck leaving Haubstadt
Asphalt Yard belonging to Gohmann Asphalt & Construction, Inc.. The
five—accompanied by twenty-five supporters—demanded that Gohmann drop
their contract with INDOT or face continued opposition and work stoppages. Until Gohmann drops its contract, opponents will continue to hold them accountable for the evictions of farmers, the disruption of communities, and the devastation of the environment caused by I-69.

I-69 has been hotly contested for almost two decades, with voices
raised against its part in the destruction of the environment, the economic
prosperity of Southern Indiana communities, and the violation of
Hoosiers’ property rights. Although over 70% of Indiana residents are opposed to the road, the governor and corporate interests are ramming I-69 down the throats of Southern Indiana residents in a complete subversion of the democratic process.

Over 400 families will be displaced in Southern Indiana; thousands of
acres of farmland, wetlands, and wildlife refuge will be paved over;
and
the already-polluted tri-state area will face thousands of pounds of
increased daily emissions from the increased truck traffic through the
region. The interstate is ultimately intended to stretch from Canada to
Mexico, linking up with an extensive network of roads being constructed
there. The highway is a physical manifestation of NAFTA and other free
trade agreements throughout the Americas—the same free trade agreements that have cost 31,000 jobs in Indiana alone since their beginnings in
1994.

“This road is being billed as an economic stimulus for Southern Indiana, but in fact it will only bring minimum wage jobs at truck stops and fast food joints. Meanwhile, all the other jobs are shipped to sweatshops
further and further south of the border. The people of Indiana deserve
better,” said Judith Mayland, a protestor at the site.

Various citizens’ groups have opposed I-69 for two decades, but with
construction starting this week, opponents are stepping up the resistance
in order to ensure that the will of the people is enacted.

“We’ve written letters, attended public meetings, and voted, and despite massive opposition they’re still trying to build this road,” one of
the locked-down opponents said. “They haven’t listened and they haven’t listened. Now it’s time to lay our bodies on the line so that they
finally get it that when we say ‘No road!’ we mean ‘No f***king
road!’”

Please forward