My name is Max. I’m a road warrior seeking donations for a righteous cause. On May 18^th, 2021, I took action against the Mountain Valley Pipeline, blocking construction and stopping pipe from being delivered for 6 hours, costing MVP over $13,000 in lost time. I was arrested and charged with 4 criminal misdemeanors and 3 traffic misdemeanors. In February, I took a plea deal that will resolve my legal situation. As part of this plea deal, I agreed to pay $2,300 in restitution as well as do 100 hours of community service in Giles County. In return, 5 of my charges have been dropped and the remaining 2 will be dropped in July. None of my actions happened in a vacuum; all resistance needs the support of community. I am asking for donations to help pay court costs and to help my war rig find its final resting place (as part of my plea agreement, the car blockade I locked myself to needs to be dealt with, it is currently in impound and needs to be towed away).

Some people might view what I did as unreasonable or extreme, but communities around the world are faced with unrestricted destruction, violence, and injustice. It seems to me that this is the simplest thing to do: to put yourself in the way of that, even if only for a couple of hours. $13,000 might seem like just a dent in a multi-billion-dollar project like Mountain Valley Pipeline, but it’s still a dent.

I don’t want to be flippant about the legal consequences for my action because everywhere others are hit way harder by the judicial system in order to intimidate and punish resistance. But I want people to know that the knowledge that my community had my back going into this action and would have my back dealing with the aftermath gave me confidence to lock myself inside that war rig in May 2021. So that’s why I’m asking for help today. Donating to legal fundraisers like this lets everyone know that people have our backs, and will encourage people to keep taking action in the future.

We are not in this fight alone, and I am far from the only person that needs support right now. I encourage anyone who is considering donating to this fundraiser to also donate to others resisting forces of destruction and oppression across occupied Turtle Island and beyond. Help support Unist'ot'en Camp fighting the Coastal GasLink Pipeline, Defend Atlanta Forest fighting against the tactical training compound that the Atlanta Police Department wants to build, and Roanoke Bail Fund supporting local prisoners and their release from one of the deadliest jails in the country.

Hope is not a mistake. Resistance is not a mistake. Supporting each other is not a mistake. Oh, what a day, what a lovely day.

If you would like to support the fight against the MVP with a recurring donation, please visit our general fundraiser: bit.ly/supportMVPresistance