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SONG OF THE RAILS – Fossil fuel protestor Rick Harlan of Seattle played his ukulele and performed an original ballad about big oil. He was among 150 people who camped on the train tracks Friday and Saturday nights during the Break Free protest event. See more about the colorful event on page 4. – Photo by Don Coyote
Local law enforcement agencies prepared for thousands of protestors during the Break Free event to draw attention to the Anacortes refineries.
Bronlea Mishler, Skagit County’s communication coor-dinator for the event, said there were an estimated 750 people actually participating in the protest. She said it was only a rough guess because they were protesting in different locations.
Dozens of people paddled their kayaks in Fidalgo Bay, more than 100 camped on the train tracks at Farm to Market Road and Highway 20, and groups marched down March’s Point Road at scheduled events on Saturday and Sunday.
Of about 150 people who set up tents and occupied the train tracks, 52 were arrested for criminal trespassing, Mishler said. They were booked and released and will likely be assessed fines.
Gus Melonas, spokesman for BNSF Railroad, said the protesters were allowed to “occupy” the BNSF property from 8 p.m. on Friday until 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Most of the people packed up and left peacefully when railroad police, Skagit County Sheriff’s deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers roused them Sunday morning.
Melonas said the protesters were allowed to grab their belongings, but left behind a huge mess on the tracks. BNSF had to hire a crane and a dump truck for workers to clean up all the tents, mattresses, banners, flags, clothes, food and trash left behind.
BNSF conducted a walking inspection of the tracks and also an inspection by BNSF vehicles. No damage was found, Melonas said, and the trains resumed their normal schedule.
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