REACTIONS TO THE OUTCOME OF THE TRIAL

Note: responses to Ken and Jay’s story have poured in from all over the country. A few people — many of them climate deniers — have disagreed with Ken and Jay’s action or DA Sutter’s decision. On the whole, though, the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Included here is just a small sampling of the opinion pieces about the lobster boat blockade and the outcome of the trial. 

Emily Williams, Fall River Herald, “Letter: Sutter made the right call on blockaders”

Ken Ward, Boston Globe, “Time for climate skepticism to melt away”

Stanley McDonald, “DA’s only misstep: sparing trial that would have thrown light on crisis”

Don Hnatowich, Boston Globe, “Even if Bristol DA’s move is political, that just shows how voters have spoken”

Janet Azarovtiz, South Coast Today, “Sutter’s Brayton decision was heroic” 

Jamie Henn, Boston Globe, “Time for civil disobedience is upon us”

Katharyn Hok, Concord Monitor, “Heroes in climate change fight”

Reviving Creation, “The law of the land”

James Hansen, “Larry Gibson and the lobster boat”

Boston Herald editorial staff, “DA Sutter’s Law rules”

Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe, “Bristol County DA overboard on climate change”

David Golber, Boston Globe, “Memo to Bristol DA: Civil disobedience can become contagious — and incivil”

PRESS ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THE TRIAL

New York Times, “Charges Dropped Against Climate Activists”

Wall Street Journal Blog, “DA Drops Criminal Charges Against Climate Change Protesters for Sake of Planet”

NPR’s Here & Now, “DA Drops Criminal Charges Against Environmental Activists”

Democracy Now, “The Climate Change Defense? Citing Global Warming, DA Drops Charges Against Anti-Coal Activists”

National Journal, “Verdict: Charges Dropped on Account of Climate Change”

Huffington Post, “Lobster Boat Blockade of Coal Plant Leads District Attorney to Climate Leadership”

Salon, “DA drops charges against anti-coal activists, says he’ll see them at the Climate March”

Associated Press, “Criminal charges dropped in lobster boat blockade”

Grist, “Is necessity the mother of climate protest?”

The Nation, “Charges Were Just Dropped Against These Climate Activists in the Most Stunning Way”

Climate Central, “Prosecutors Side with Coal Blockaders, Drop Charges”

Boston Globe, “Bristol DA Drops Charges, Says Protesters Were Right”

Boston Magazine, “District Attorney Lessens Charges in ‘Lobster Boat Blockade’ Case”

Bloomberg Businessweek, “Activists Mount ‘Necessity’ Defense for Anti-Coal Action”

Boston Herald, “Global warming defense lets two protesters walk”

Providence Journal, “Plea deal reached for protesters who blocked coal shipment to Brayton Point Power Station”

Fall River Herald News, “Charges dropped against activists who used boat to block coal shipment”

Worcester Telegram, “Criminal charges dropped in Mass. lobster boat blockade”

WCAI Cape and Islands, “Bristol County DA Calls Off Climate Change Show Trial”

WCAI Cape and Islands, “Fifteen Minutes with the Lobster Boat Blockaders”

WBUR, “Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Activists Who Blocked A Coal Freighter”

WCVB, “Trial set for activists who blocked coal with lobster boat”

Inside Climate News, “DA in Mass. Drops Charges, Says Activists Were Right About Climate Crisis”

South Coast Today, “Sutter agrees to plea deal in Brayton Point coal blockade”

ABC 6 Providence, “Criminal charges dropped against climate activists”

PRESS FROM THE LEAD-UP TO THE TRIAL

Boston Globe “The Climate Made Me Do It”

Associated Press “Activists Say Massachusetts coal blockade was justified” (reprinted by San Francisco Chronicle, WLNE-Providence, Portland Press-Herald, Boston Herald, USA Today, Boston Globe, Berkshire Eagle, Washington Times, Cape Cod Times, The Columbian, Eugene Register-Guard, WCVB Boston, and more)

State House News, “Lobster Boat Trial”

Climate Central, “Urgency of Climate Change to Debut as Legal Defense”

South Coast Today, “Activists: Climate change justified Brayton Point blockade”

Providence Journal, “Activists who blocked Brayton Point coal barge to use “necessity defense” at trial”

Lansing News, “The Climate Made Them Do It”

PRESS ABOUT THE ACTION

The Nation “The New Climate Radicals”

The Boston Globe “Anticoal activists block path of freighter”

Fall River Herald News “Activists declaring ‘Coal Is Stupid’ attempt blockade of coal delivery at Somerset’s Brayton Point”

CommonDreams “The Lobster Boat vs. The Coal Freighter”

Power Engineering “Lobster boat blocks coal shipment to Brayton Point coal-fired plant”

TreeHugger.com “Lobster Boat Successfully Blockades 40,000 Ton Coal Shipment”

EastBayRI.com “Protesters’ lobster boat stops Brayton Point coal shipment”

Commonwealth Magazine “The Zombie Coal Plant”