Ethan Walker
Four Catholic Workers were charged with property damage after attempting to shut off valves on a northern Minnesota pipeline operated by Enbridge Inc. The group, calling themselves the Four Necessity Valve Turners, appeared in Itasca County District Court, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and were charged with a felony count of aiding and abetting attempted damage to pipeline property and a fourth-degree misdemeanor for criminal property damage. The Catholic Workers and other activists have argued that the pipeline project endangers lands sacred to local indigenous people and contributes to climate change.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | February 4, 2019 |
| Location | Itasca County, Minnesota |
| Number of protesters | 4 |
| Names of protesters | Brenna Cussen Anglada, Michelle (or Michele) Naar Obed, Allyson Polman, Daniel Yildirim |
| Organizations | St. Isidor Catholic Worker Farm, Hilegard House Catholic Worker, Evening Star Farm |
| Pipeline company | Enbridge Inc. |
| Type of protest | Non-violent |
| Type of action | Attempted to shut off valves on a pipeline |
| Reason for protest | To prevent "imminent and irreversible damage" to the climate by the fossil fuel industry |
| Outcome | Arrested and charged with felony and misdemeanor property damage |
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What You'll Learn
Four Catholic Workers were charged with property damage
The four activists were identified as Brenna Cussen Anglada of the St. Isidor Catholic Worker Farm in Cuba City, Wisconsin; Michelle Naar Obed of the Hilegard House Catholic Worker in Duluth, Minnesota; Allyson Polman, a Catholic Worker from Denton, Texas; and Daniel Yildirim of the Evening Star Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin. All four were released and the next court date was set for February 19.
The activists stated that they were acting "in solidarity with the most vulnerable worldwide who suffer the greatest impact from climate change". They also claimed that the pipeline endangers lands sacred to local indigenous people. The Catholic Worker movement is a decentralised network of houses of hospitality and farms whose members usually live in community, practice the works of mercy, and protest violence and injustice.
Enbridge released a statement saying that the group's actions were reckless and dangerous, and that they did not result in the release of any product. The company said that the activists put themselves, first responders, neighbouring communities and landowners at risk.
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The workers were protesting climate change
Four Catholic Workers were charged with property damage after attempting to shut off the valves on a northern Minnesota pipeline. The group, calling themselves the "Four Necessity Valve Turners", appeared in the Itasca County District Court in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and were charged with a felony count of aiding and abetting attempted damage to pipeline property and a fourth-degree misdemeanour for criminal property damage. The four activists, Allyson Polman, Brenna Cussen Anglada, Michelle Naar Obed, and Daniel Yildirim, were protesting the imminent and irreversible damage caused by the fossil fuel industry to the climate. They were part of the Catholic Worker movement, a decentralised network of houses of hospitality and farms whose members usually live in community, practice the works of mercy, and protest violence and injustice.
The group's spokeswoman, Diane Leutgeb Monson, stated that the activists broke into a fenced area containing shut-off valves for three Enbridge pipelines around noon on Monday. After a period of prayer and offerings, they called to warn the company of their plans to turn off the Line 4 pipeline. However, Enbridge shut the pipeline down remotely. The activists were arrested by Itasca County sheriff's deputies around 1:30 p.m.
The Catholic Workers and other activists have argued that the Enbridge Line 3 project, a $2.9 billion effort to replace 364 miles of pipeline transporting Canadian tar sands oil across three U.S. states, contributes to climate change and endangers lands sacred to local indigenous people. The pipeline currently cuts through the Fond du Lac and Leech Lake reservations, home to groups of the Anishinaabe people. The proposed re-routing would avoid the reservations but cross wild rice lakes that the Anishinaabe consider sacred and where they have treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather.
The Midwest Catholic Worker Faith and Resistance Retreat, held in April 2018, focused on education, relationship-building, and action planning related to opposing the Line 3 pipeline project. During the retreat, 27 people risked arrest for trespassing when they occupied the yard of a pipeline storage facility in Carlton County, Minnesota, with banners, signs, jars of blessed water, and sacred objects. The group aimed to "transform" the space and oppose the pipeline project, with one participant stating that they hoped the prayers and sacred items left behind would have an impact.
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They attempted to shut off valves on a northern Minnesota pipeline
Four climate-change activists from the Catholic Worker movement were arrested on Monday, February 4, 2019, after attempting to shut off valves on a northern Minnesota pipeline. The group, calling themselves the "Four Necessity Valve Turners", broke into a fenced area southeast of Grand Rapids that contained shut-off valves for three Enbridge pipelines. After a period of prayer and offerings, they called to warn the company of their plans to turn off the Line 4 pipeline. However, Enbridge remotely shut down the pipeline itself.
The four activists were identified as Michele Naar Obed of Duluth, Minnesota; Allyson Polman of Denton, Texas; and Brenna Cussen Anglada and Daniel Yildirim of Cuba City, Wisconsin. They were charged with felony counts of aiding and abetting attempted damage to pipeline property and misdemeanor criminal property damage. At their arraignment hearing, they stated that they acted "in solidarity with the most vulnerable worldwide who suffer the greatest impact from climate change".
The attempted valve shutoff was part of a series of protests against Enbridge's Line 3 project, a $2.9 billion effort to replace 364 miles of pipeline transporting Canadian tar sands oil across three US states. The Catholic Worker group and indigenous activists argued that the project not only contributes to climate change but also endangers lands sacred to local indigenous people. They have called for ""unprecedented and urgent action" to address these concerns.
While the activists claimed to be protecting the environment, Enbridge and law enforcement officials characterised their actions as "reckless and dangerous". They emphasised that tampering with energy infrastructure put themselves, first responders, neighbouring communities, and landowners at risk. Despite this, a Clearwater County judge dismissed similar charges against three activists in 2016, stating that prosecutors failed to prove that the protesters caused any damage.
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The workers were arrested for breaking into a fenced valve site
Four Catholic Worker protesters were arrested in Minnesota for breaking into a fenced valve site in an attempt to shut down an Enbridge oil pipeline. The incident occurred on Monday, February 4, 2019, in north-central Minnesota, near Grand Rapids. The protesters, who called themselves the "Four Necessity Valve Turners," broke into a fenced area that contained shut-off valves for three Enbridge pipelines around noon.
After a period of prayer and offerings, the group called Enbridge to warn them of their plans to turn off the Line 4 pipeline. However, Enbridge remotely shut down the pipeline itself before the protesters could do so. The four activists were arrested by Itasca County sheriff's deputies around 1:30 p.m.
The four activists were identified as Michele Naar Obed of Duluth, Minnesota; Allyson Polman of Denton, Texas; Brenna Cussen Anglada and Daniel Yildirim of Cuba City, Wisconsin. They were charged with felony aiding and abetting attempted damage to pipeline property and misdemeanor criminal property damage. The group appeared in court in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, two days after their arrest.
The Catholic Worker movement is a decentralized network of houses of hospitality and farms whose members often engage in protests against violence and injustice. The protesters in this incident stated that they were taking action to prevent "the imminent and irreversible damage being done to the climate" by the fossil fuel industry. They also argued that the pipeline project endangered lands sacred to local indigenous people.
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The workers were released under their own recognizance
Four Catholic Workers were charged with property damage after attempting to shut off valves on a northern Minnesota pipeline. The group, calling themselves the "Four Necessity Valve Turners", appeared in Itasca County District Court, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and were charged with a felony count of aiding and abetting attempted damage to pipeline property, as well as a fourth-degree misdemeanour for criminal property damage. The four activists—Brenna Cussen Anglada, Michelle (or Michele) Naar Obed, Allyson Polman, and Daniel Yildirim—were released under their own recognizance.
The four activists were arrested after breaking into a fenced valve site and attempting to turn off emergency shut-off valves for two pipelines operated by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian energy company. Enbridge remotely shut down one of the valves, and in a statement, the company condemned the activists' actions as "reckless and dangerous", claiming that they did the opposite of protecting the environment, instead endangering themselves and others.
The activists, however, argued that their actions were necessary to prevent "the imminent and irreversible damage being done to the climate" by the fossil fuel industry. They further asserted that the pipeline project endangers lands sacred to local indigenous people. This incident is part of a series of protests against Enbridge's Line 3 project, a $2.9 billion effort to replace 364 miles of pipeline transporting Canadian tar sands oil across three U.S. states.
The next court date for the "Four Necessity Valve Turners" was set for February 19, with a maximum sentence for the felony count of five years in prison or a $10,000 fine, and for the misdemeanour, 90 days in prison or a $1,000 fine.
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Frequently asked questions
Four Catholic Workers were charged with property damage after attempting to shut off valves on a northern Minnesota pipeline operated by Enbridge.
The group, calling themselves the "Four Necessity Valve Turners", took non-violent action to stop the "imminent and irreversible damage being done to the climate" by the fossil fuel industry.
The four Catholic Workers were arrested and charged with a felony count of aiding and abetting attempted damage to pipeline property and a fourth-degree misdemeanor for criminal property damage. However, the maximum sentence for the felony count is five years in prison or a $10,000 fine, and for the misdemeanor 90 days in prison or a $1,000 fine.
