Earth Equity News

Climate Activists on Maryland State Police Terrorist List. By Pamela Wood and Liam Farrell, Annapolis Capital, October 23, 2008. "Three staffers for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network have learned they were on a [Maryland State Police list of suspected terrorists] police, which also included nonviolent peace activists and anti-death penalty advocates, said Mike Tidwell, the group's founder and executive director... The surveillance and the existence of peace activists on the suspected terrorist list were exposed this summer after the ACLU sought documents under the Maryland Public Information Act. In recent weeks, the state police admitted to wrongly listing 53 activists as terrorists. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network organized a rally Thursday morning outside the Silver Spring Metro station to draw attention to the issue... In 2004, Mr. Tidwell was part of a group arrested while demonstrating outside a power plant in Southern Maryland. He was found guilty of one count of 'impeding passage of persons/vehicle.' A charge of disturbing the peace was dropped. And in October 2006, two CCAN protestors climbed a ledge over the front door of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building in Silver Spring as part of a demonstration. Mr. Tidwell pointed out that both incidents happened outside the state police's admitted surveillance window of March 2005 to May 2006. He also noted that the other two CCAN employees -- former Maryland organizer Josh Tulkin and another who is remaining anonymous -- had spotless criminal records. 'We at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network are innocent of everything except peacefully improving the health of the state of Maryland ... It's a sad day when people who promote windmills and solar panels are described as suspected terrorists,' Mr. Tidwell said." CCAN Press Release 10/23/08; Pictures from CCAN Protest Rally; 10/23/08.