A group of Earth First activists held a rowdy protest at the Midland home of State Attorney General Bill Schuette to demand the immediate shutdown of an aging oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac.
A statement by Earth First issued after the protest says until Schuette shuts down Enbridge Line 5, he can expect more protests at his home.
Schuette spokeswoman Andrea Bitely says protesters violently beat on the door and windows while Schuette's wife was home alone, and they defaced the property.
While these thugs failed, what happened today was an outrageous attempt to intimidate and bully the Schuette family and the people of Michigan through Bill's role as the Attorney General of Michigan. If the issue at hand is actually Line 5, and not just an excuse to use professional protestors to intimidate state officials and the people of Michigan, this type of reckless and violent behavior was even more illogical, since the Attorney General has made clear the pipeline is a risk and is working hard with all groups involved to find a public policy solution that protects the Great Lakes.
Earth First says the demonstration was due to Schuette's lack of action.
"Schuette knows Line 5 poses an immediate risk to the Great Lakes each day it is allowed to continue to operate," says Earth First organizer Plaintain, "and yet he's choosing to stall for another 1-2 years. Schuette is directly threatening all of life in our region and is putting us all at risk and we are going to bring the fight to his front lawn until he is held accountable."
A call to the Midland Police Department about the incident was not immediately returned.
In full disclosure, Enbridge is a financial supporter of Michigan Radio.
