January 10, 1983
Months of acrimonious controversy came to a boil when construction crews arrived in Point Pleasant, PA to begin work on a massive water supply project. Opponents charged that the pump would dry up the Delaware river, killing fish in the stream and plant and animal life along the waterway and nearby creeks. The construction crews were met by hundreds of demonstrators (Including Abbie Hoffman, who lived nearby) organized by Del-AWARE using the slogan “Dump the Pump,” who refused to let the crews pass. A court order was obtained to bar the protesters from the site. On Jan. 11, the protesters refused to step aside. Hundreds were arrested; many were sentenced to jail on civil disobedience charges. The protesters managed to elect new county commissioners and get an injunction, but courts ruled that the contracts were binding and the pump was built in 1989.
