Frances Crowe is a 98-year-old activist who was arrested last week after she joined a group protesting the construction of a pipeline, putting herself in the way of planned pipeline construction in Massachusetts:
Crowe put herself—and her wheelchair—in a contested area of the Otis State Forest in Sandisfield, MA, to protest the construction of a planned 3.8 mile pipeline loop owned by Kinder Morgan and affiliate Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), on 17 acres of the conserved Otis State Forest that contains biologically-important wetlands, and sacred Native American sites. The pipeline was intended to store fracked methane gas originally proposed to serve customers in Connecticut.
Activists claim state and federal governments have failed to present a safe plan for the pipeline:
Co-defendant Priscilla Lynch, of Conway, reflecting on Saturday's events stated, "The police chose to arrest me today because I was standing in the way of the construction of an illegal pipeline. There has been no evacuation plan provided for the people of the community, the thinnest pipes possible are being used, and I consider it my civic duty to do everything in my power to stop this dangerous, unnecessary pipeline."
Thursday the state decriminalized the charges, but Crowe had an important message as she left the courthouse:
Frances Crowe is often seen smiling. But on the courthouse steps, the 98-year-old activist went stern.
"This is a serious business we're involved in," she said, speaking from her wheelchair. "This is the future of life on the planet. Are the corporations going to rule the future, or will people rise up and say no?"
Crowe, a longtime, legendary peace and environmental activist was among eight anti-pipeline activists arraigned in Southern Berkshire District Court Thursday after arrests Saturday for trespassing on state-owned and protected land in Otis State Forest.
Crowe and the others were swiftly told by the assistant court clerk - before the judge was even seated - that the state had decriminalized their charges, and that their civil hearing was set for July 18.
A fierce fighter for the planet, she also has a stellar sense of humor:
Crowe is a longtime peace and antinuclear activist. This is her third arrest since she turned 90 years old. When asked on Saturday how many times she’d been arrested throughout her lifetime, Francis Crowe answered, "Not Enough."
Here’s a 2007 interview with Crowe at a Traprock Peace Center. Cheers to Frances Crowe!