Jennifer Stahl, Kim Bendis, two Illinois women arrested in their own backyard for trying to stop Smart meter installations
Two vocal opponents of Naperville’s initiative to install wireless electric meters on homes were arrested after interfering with the installation process, according to city officials.
Police are accompanying crews this week as they install smart meters at homes that previously sent away installers.
“The previous installation attempts were met with some resistance and we wanted to ensure our employees’ safety,” City Manager Doug Krieger said.
The two arrested women, Jennifer Stahl and Malia “Kim” Bendis, were leaders of an anti-smart meter group dubbed “Naperville Smart Meter Awareness”. The group’s website links to a critical article on the project which points out its $23.6M USD cost, only $11M USD of which came from a federal grant.
The installation crew but the bicycle lock on Stahl’s fence gate to enter the backyard with the police. When police found Ms. Stahl standing in front of her old-fashioned “dumb” meter refusing to move, they arrested her and charged her with interfering with a police officer and preventing access to customer premises.
Ms. Bendis’s arrest proceeded similarly. She was charged with attempted eavesdropping and resisting a peace officer.
Stahl told reporters, “It was forced on my house today. It was really a violation. I violated something, but I’ve been violated too so I guess we’re now in a society of violating one another. I have not done the work of attempting to educate the community and advocating for the right of anybody in Naperville to refuse the smart meter just to stand off to the side.”
Both women were released within hours.
City Manager Doug Krieger defends the arrests, commenting, “The previous installation attempts were met with some resistance and we wanted to ensure our employees’ safety. The city has always had and maintains the right to access our equipment, and today we were simply exercising that right.”
Bendis declined to comment to reporters, citing advice from her lawyer.
go ahead and tell the worthless piece of shit naperville police.you arrest these women how tough but you worthless cocksuckers piss in your pants when nigger gangbangers hit!!! fuck off jagbags