Paint protest disrupts NAU jobs fair
October 7, 2011 by pathfinder
Filed under Latest Posts
Cross-posted from AZ Daily Sun
A man threw red paint on a display board at an NAU jobs fair on Thursday as part of a protest (Courtesy photo)
A man walked into an NAU jobs fair at around 1 p.m. on Thursday and threw what appeared to be a cup of red paint at a Peabody Energy Corporation display booth, according to witnesses.
Shortly after that, another man walked in and released balloons that read things like “murderers,” the witness said. One of the men jumped on a bike and rode away, the other changed clothes and took off running south. It’s possible a third suspect was filming the incident, according to NAU spokesperson Tom Bauer. The suspects were described as white males between 22 and 25 years of age. It’s unknown if they are students. “Northern Arizona University strongly condemns this despicable act,” NAU President John Haeger said in a statement. “This behavior disrupted an event that benefits students by connecting them with potential employers. We will pursue the individuals involved and file charges against them.” Peabody Energy Corporation is the largest private coal company in the world. The corporation settled a lawsuit in August that accused it of conspiring with others to cheat the Navajo Nation out of hundreds of millions of dollars in coal royalties. Eric Betz can be reached at ebetz@azdailysun.com or 556-2250.
