Colorado State University student arrested for protesting fracking near Greeley middle school

Authorities arrested a Colorado State University student in Greeley the morning of March 8 when the student and a group of protesters stepped onto the construction site of a fracking company.

Cullen Lobe, a CSU junior studying journalism and environmental affairs at CSU, the morning of March 8 in Greeley. He and a group of fellow protesters stepped onto the construction site of a fracking company.

This construction site, is located about 1,300 feet from Bella Romero Academy, a Greeley middle school. 

While no drilling has occurred yet, the site is expected to be ready for drilling this spring. Bella Romero Academy is a fourth-through-eighth-grade campus that comprises primarily low-income and Hispanic students; Lobe and other anti-fracking activists call the site a “clear-cut case of environmental racism.” Parents at Bella Romero have protested the site over concerns of an explosion or chemical leak. Extraction had previously planned the project to be near Frontier Academy, another Greeley middle school, but parents took a stand and forced the company to move locations.

In the statement from Weld County Sheriff’s Departent they stated:

“On Thursday, March 8, 2018, at about 9:50 am, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office responded to a trespassing in progress in the area of East Highway 34 and East 20th Street near Greeley, in Unincorporated Weld County, Colorado. It was reported that there were several people protesting on private property. One of the protesters, later identified as 23-year-old, Cullen Walter Lobe (DOB 10/20/1994) had chained himself to the front end of the heavy operating equipment and was refusing to leave.

When deputies arrived on scene, they informed the individuals multiple times that they were on private property and needed to leave. At approximately 11:30 am, Lobe was taken into custody and charged with 2nd Degree Criminal Trespassing. Lobe was transported the Weld County North Jail Complex without further incident. Several other individuals were cited and released for Criminal Tampering.

No individuals were hurt during the incident. All charges are merely accusations until proven guilty in a court of law. No other information will be released at this time.”