By Rebecca Kemble
Posted July 3, 2013, on Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative
Reprinted in part with permission
Vehicles block the sidewalk in front of GTac offices in downtown Hurley, Wis. (Photo © and courtesy Rebecca Kemble)
HURLEY, WIS. -- On Monday, July 1, 2013, members of the Penokee Hills Education Project and their supporters held a press conference in downtown Hurley, Wisconsin.
The event was scheduled an hour and a half before the Iron County Zoning Committee’s public hearing on a proposed mining ordinance. It was slated to take place on the sidewalk in front of the offices of Gogebic Taconite (GTac), a company with plans to obliterate the Penokee Hills and extract low-grade iron ore.
When organizers arrived, they found that the sidewalk had been blocked by a large pick up truck and an RV.
The crowd of fifty people moved across the street to a vacant lot between two local bars. Several locals attempted to disrupt the news event by standing outside the Krash Inn and shouting disparaging comments, but they were largely ignored.
Hurley police officers patrolled the area in squad cars and on foot. Chief Daniel Erspamer was on hand to advise people not to block traffic or the sidewalks. ...
Click here to read the rest of this article and see videos of speeches by people who spoke about the importance of protecting the freshwater resources in the area with strong local ordinances, and against the bullying tactics of GTac and their supporters.
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