Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen and two other activists set up a tower of speakers and played the sound of an F-35 aircraft taking off in what they called a "public demonstration" of how loud the aircraft will be once a planned 18 F-35 planes are stationed in Vermont. The Vermont Air National Guard is preparing to base the fighters within the state by the fall of 2019.
— Dom Amato (@WCAX_Dom) March 3, 2018
— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) March 3, 2018
The trio was charged with disorderly conduct, local police said.
— Dom Amato (@WCAX_Dom) March 3, 2018
Generally, Cohen and his collaborators should receive two citations for noise violations before getting handcuffed on the third, but a police officer told the Free Press that witnesses provided statements for the first two instances and on the third instance the police officers saw the violation themselves.
— Caleigh Cross (@CaleighCross) March 3, 2018
"Of course, that's exactly the point," Cohen told the Burlington Free Press on Saturday.
The city votes on Tuesday to decide whether officials should oppose the base. Conveniently, a pair of F-35s will arrive in Burlington this summer to give residents a sample of what the noise from the planes will really be like.
— Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) March 3, 2018
