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Two More Arrested at Santa Cruz County Smart Meter Protest

by via Stop Smart Meters!
PG&E Covering Logo on Trucks to Sneak into Backyards as Illegal Installations Begin
stop-smart-meters.jpg

Santa Cruz County, Calif.- Two people were arrested Friday afternoon by Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Dept. for peacefully blocking smart meter installation trucks as they attempted to drive out of a yard in the Pleasure Point neighborhood of Santa Cruz County.  PG&E has stated that they do not intend to respect laws in Santa Cruz County, Capitola, and Watsonville that prohibit wireless meter installation- laws that were passed to protect the public from identified health and safety risks from the new meters.  The two protesters who are affiliated with StopSmartMeters! were charged with misdemeanor obstruction, and released with court date in August.

Contractors Wellington Energy- who PG&E have hired to install “smart” meters throughout the state- have been installing without a valid California contractors license, and faulty installations by the company have been linked with a number of electrical fires from meters that were not fitted properly.  Protesters discovered yesterday that the company has apparently bought large white magnets to fit over the logo on their vehicles so they can sneak around neighbourhoods and into backyards without being recognized.

According to Joshua Hart, Director of StopSmartMeters.Org, and one of those arrested yesterday: “When a company like PG&E, who has repeatedly lied about the strength of the radiation pulses from their meters, and the San Bruno explosion that killed 8 people, then hires contractors who aren’t qualified to go out into communities under cover of anonymity to violate local government laws, forcing what even the World Health Organization now classifies as a Class 2B carcinogen on the population, our communities must organize and fight back.”

A month ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified wireless, non-ionizing radiation as ‘possibly cancer causing’ based on a broad investigation into the peer-reviewed science, throwing a wrench into unrestrained proliferation of wireless infrastructure, particularly utility installations of ‘smart’ meters throughout the United States.   The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) placed radiation from cell phones into Category 2B- the same category as DDT and engine exhaust.

Evidence of growing health harm has forced the CA Public Utilities Commission to require that PG&E offer an opt out program for those unwilling to have a meter on their home, but critics say this plan falls far short of what is needed, and charges people large fees- simply to protect their health.  Opponents of the wireless mesh network continue to insist that entire communities have the right to “opt out” given that the signals from the meters can travel about a mile.  “If I opt out and both my neighbors allow smart meters to be installed, I am still being subjected to high levels of forced radiation in my home.” says Heidi Rose, a woman who was arrested yesterday.  “That is a violation of my civil rights.”

Protesters initially called police to come and enforce county ordinance 5084, adopted unanimously by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in January that prohibits smart meter installations.   “We were calling the sheriff to have them come and enforce the law and protect the public.  Instead they arrested us, enabling PG&E’s illegal installations to proceed.”

In spite of the Sheriff’s apparent unwillingness to enforce the County’s law, Santa Cruz County Counsel Dana McRae has written a letter to PG&E contractors informing them that the County does intend to enforce the law:

….the installation of SmartMeters in the unincorporated area of Santa Cruz  County will be in violation of the County’s ordinance, and any person found violating the ordinance will be subject to citation by law enforcement personnel.”

To date, a total of 43 local jurisdictions have demanded that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) halt further installation because of widespread reports of health impacts and other concerns.  This list is available online at: http://stopsmartmeters.org/how-you-can-stop-smart-meters/ca-local-governments-on-board/

Video of the arrest is available at Stopsmartmeters.org and is available for media use as long as the website is acknowledged as the source.  The World Health Organization’s press release can be downloaded from http://www.iarc.fr/

A copy of County Counsel’s letter is also available upon request.

Add Your Comments

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by RobertWilliams
Santa Cruz County Sherriff Needs To Hire Patrolmen Who Can Think.

If Paul Revere road through Santa Cruz County today warning the people of imminent danger, instead of further broadcasting his message and preparing for the danger, the Santa Cruz Sheriff Officers would arrest Paul Revere on a technicality.

While the English were burning down town after town and killing people, the sheriff patrolmen would be issuing a citation to Paul Revere for “Not yielding the right of way to the attacking force’s cannons.”

These two people, Joshua Hart and Heidi Rose are true modern day American Heroes.

How many of us have placed our bodies in front of danger to protect others? How many of us have given up ALL of our time and ALL of our own desires to inform and protect other people’s families and children throughout the State of California?

How many of us have stood against a corrupt, disgusting, despicable and willing child-molesting PG$E CORPORATE giant and then be placed in Jail for it, rather than receive our countries highest medal, praise or appreciation.

PG&E employees are great, our friends and neighbors, but PG$E Corporate has a consistent record or Lying, stealing our money and killing innocent trusting people throughout the State of California.

- Hinckley, California (Erin Brokavich reporting) PG$E Corporate told families the water was safe, even when they knew it was not, and innocent children and their parents suffered and died terrible deaths.

- San Bruno – PG$E Corporate took $ millions in maintenance money from us and kept it without doing the pipeline maintenance it was for and innocent children and their parents were blown up, killed and burned in their own homes.

We spend $ Thousands of dollars on our children’s schools, their clothes, their toys and food, to give them the best care. But none of it is as important as saving their lives as Josh and Heidi are truly doing by placing their own bodies in front of the danger, risking their own lives.

Make out a check to Joshua Hart.
Send it to Stop Smart Meters; P.O. Box 66165 Scotts Valley, CA 95067.

Or use PAYPAL: http://stopsmartmeters.org/donate/

Or if you require a tax deduction from an authorized 201C3 nonprofit, email Josh at: info [at] stopsmartmeters.org

How much should you send: If you are poor, send $100. If you are not poor send $500 - $1,000 or more. If you are loaded, send $5K – 10K or more.

Josh can take $1,000 and beat the lies that PG$E Corporate place on TV and across media costing $100,000.

Every $100 dollars you send will beat $10,000 of lies and damage to our children that PG$E Corporate excretes through their cowardly fangs and pores.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH $$$.

Volunteer if you like, but RIGHT NOW, Make a difference with $$$.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

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