Free the Enbridge 3!

Please add your name and join with others to protest the arrest and prosecution of peaceful protesters.

The email below is from Marcia Hester, an organizer with the Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands. Marcia started a petition on CREDO Mobilize, where activists can launch their own campaigns for progressive change. Will you join Marcia in calling for the release of Vicci Hamlin, Lisa Leggio and Barbara Carter, who were jailed for engaging in peaceful civil disobedience to block construction of a toxic tar sands pipeline in Michigan, by signing her petition and sharing it with your friends and family?

Free the Enbridge 3!

Vicci Hamlin, Lisa Leggio and Barbara Carter -- the Enbridge 3 -- locked themselves to construction machinery to block the construction of Enbridge's line 6B tar sands pipeline. The Michigan pipeline is the same one that, in 2010, spilled more than a million gallons of tar sands, fouling a huge section of the Kalamazoo River. Now, after being convicted of the charges brought against them, they are being held in jail without bond until their sentencing on March 5. They face up to three years in prison for committing nonviolent civil disobedience to protect their community and the global commons -- our air, land, water and climate -- from Enbridge's toxic pipeline and the carbon pollution the tar sands will spew out if burned. They were found guilty after a four-day trial during which the judge refused to allow the defendants to discuss the 2010 oil spill or other environmental issues that motivated the peaceful protest. The judge's decision to have them held without bond until sentencing is unconscionable. Being held without bond prior to sentencing is only warranted when the judge believes the defendants are a flight risk or pose a serious threat to the community. That's why I started my own campaign on CREDOMobilize.com, which allows activists to start their own petitions. My petition, which is to Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart J. Dunnings III and Judge William E. Collette, says the following: Committing peaceful civil disobedience to block dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure is a courageous act of heroism. Holding Vicci Hamlin, Lisa Leggio and Barbara Carter in prison without bond is outrageous and they deserve immediate release -- not jail time. We urge the court to show leniency. Sign the petition: Tell Ingham County Prosecutor Dunnings and Judge Collette to free the Enbridge 3. Vicci Hamlin is a 60-year-old great-grandmother. Lisa Leggio, a single mother of two. Barbara Carter lives three miles from a tar sands refinery which she says makes it hard for her to breathe when she enters or leaves her home. These women shouldn't spend another day in jail for taking courageous action to disrupt Enbridge's dirty business. Appallingly, Enbridge's Kalamazoo River spill still hasn't been fully cleaned up, despite a deadline of December 31, 2013, set by the EPA. Meanwhile, Enbridge has been doing work to divert the broken pipeline and ensure its profits keep flowing along with the oil. Vicci, Lisa and Barbara were arrested as part of a July 2013 protest organized by the environmental action group Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI-CATS), along with its sister organization Detroit Coalition Against Tar Sands (D-CATS) to protest the continued construction of the pipeline and the extraction of tar sands. Sign this petition to show solidarity with the Enbridge 3 and call for their release. Will you join me and add your name to my petition telling Ingham County Prosecutor Dunnings and Judge Collette to free the Enbridge 3? Thank you for your support. Marcia Hester

CREDO Mobilize helps activists like you make progressive change and fight regressive policies by creating online petitions. Click here to start a petition today.

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