98-year-old activist remains defiant after arraignment

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. – A 98-year-old Massachusetts woman in a wheelchair who was arrested last weekend for blocking construction of a natural gas pipeline remained defiant at her arraignment.

Frances Crowe and seven co-defendants had their criminal trespass charges reduced to civil infractions Thursday and were released pending a July 18 hearing.

The Berkshire Eagle (http://bit.ly/2u5RjIB ) reports that on the steps of the courthouse, the Northampton woman said her actions are about “the future of life on the planet.” She asked, “Are the corporations going to rule the future, or will people rise up and say no?”

Crowe is a well-known peace and environmental activist. She was arrested Saturday at Otis State Forest in Sandisfield. She was protesting an easement that allows the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. to widen its right of way through the forest.