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The largest act of civil disobedience to happen in the US this Monday!!! international |
environment |
news report
 Friday February 27, 2009 17:02 by dunk fuspey at yahoo dot co dot uk
 The climate camp "movement" is growing: engage, teach, learn, demonstrate alternatives, skill share, be moved, prepare, take direct action Al Gore: "I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants." On September 24, 2008, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore told the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York city: "If you're a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration." From Yesterdays Democracy Now show: Full audio is embedded at end of this article JESSY TOLKAN: We’re a coalition of fifty really diverse organizations that range from young evangelicals to young people from indigenous communities across the country to college students. We have united around a bold vision for what we think needs to happen on climate change. Jessy Tolkan, Executive director of the Energy Action Coalition. Danny Chiotos, member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition. http://www.capitolclimateaction.org/ + http://www.powershift09.org/splash full DN! feature: Power Shift: Youth Climate Activists Swarm D.C. for Weekend of Organizing, Lobbying and Protest http://i4.democracynow.org/2009/2/26/power_shift_youth_...swarm + http://blip.tv/file/get/Demnow-DemocracyNowThursdayFebr...7.mp4 Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law So read a leading article in the UK´s Independant after 6 Greenpeace activists historic court win using "lawful excuse" in support of their direct action of scaling Kingsnorth coal power station in Kent, the site of last summers Climate Camp actions. On Sunday December 12, 2008 the New York Times included the Kingsnorth defence in its annual list of the most influential ideas that will change our lives. Under the heading ‘Climate-Change Defense, The' the newspaper said the verdict ‘shook up the world of green politics'. So who knows, the precedent is there (the same legal strategy was used when the Ploughshares finally won their courtcase), there is sure to be arrests next monday, but perhaps they will use the Greenpeace case to back up their calls for supporting Gores calls to action...? Eitherway, what ever happens, fair play to the US activists. I have been in some direct contact with a few of them from Barcelona and there is definately very exciting things happening there, yes Obama has played a bit in the collective bold dreaming, and from that organising to action, but its more than that. We will see how Monday goes, it would be nice if we could let them know we support their actions and wish them well in their direct actions, confrontation with police, court time, and possibly jail time. Climate change Coverage on Democracy Now! + largest act of civil disobedience against global warming in US The DN! feature was one of 3 on the critical theme of Climate change, full show can be found at: http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2009/2/26 The other 2 features were: * Member of UN Environment Panel Warns Greenhouse Emissions Rising at Alarming, Unexpected Rate We speak to Chris Field, a leading member of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, about his warning that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is rising more rapidly than expected in recent years. Field says the current trajectory of climate change is now much worse than the IPCC had originally projected. On Wednesday, Field told a Senate panel droughts caused by global warming could make parts of the American Southwest dangerous to live in. * Study Finds Unprecedented Growth in Climate Change Lobbying A new report from the Center for Public Integrity reveals that the number of global warming lobbyists has increased by more than 300 percent in the past five years. In the past year, some 770 companies hired over 2,000 climate change lobbyists and spent an estimated $90 million to influence federal policy on climate change. We speak to the report’s lead author, Marianne Lavelle. Related infos: Climate Camp 08 - non violant protest against coal station meets police violence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkwpQnR3Pxg climate camp UK http://climatecamp.org.uk/home Beneath Heathrow's pall of misery, a new political movement is born (climate camp 2007) http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/aug/21/com...sport New York Times: Climate-Change Defense http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/magazine/14Ideas-Sect...?_r=1 Greenpeace historic "lawful excuse" direct action and courtcase win: Government moves in to strip juries of its power in climate protest cases http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/gover...81218 Independant: Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change....html Al Gore speaks out in favor of direct action http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Nonviolent_d...ction An Inconveniant Truth: Al Gores film on the stark reality of climate change http://www.climatecrisis.net/ + trailer: http://www.climatecrisis.net/trailer/ IMC-WASHINGTON DC http://dc.indymedia.org/ Whats all this Climate Camp stuff then? http://itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/clima...camp/ Zero Carbon Caravan > COP15. Live radio project(s), zero carbon world concert(s) for a zero carbon world http://itsafunnyoldworld.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/zero-...avan/ Irish Climate Camp National Meeting http://www.indymedia.ie/article/90811 > COP 15 http://www.climateaction09.org/ # klimaX http://klimax2009.org/ # UK-ClimateCamp http://climatecamp.org.uk/ # Peoples Climate Protocol http://peoplesclimateprotocol.aprnet.org/content/view/1...3/26/
Caption: Video Id: wnjx6KETmi4 Type: Youtube Video 
Caption: Video Id: SkwpQnR3Pxg Type: Youtube Video
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Comments (13 of 13)
Jump To Comment: 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Hey all,
Wanted to share my reflection from our mass-action in the US on Monday (see www.capitolclimateaction.org), what we won, what it was good for (and what it was NOT good for), etc. I mainly wrote this for action participants – thousands of people for whom this was their very first demonstration of any kind, let alone civil disobedience. This really did end up being a transformational experience for so many young people who had never thought about doing anything like this before.
http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2009/03/03/in-context-ca...tory/
Hugs and solidarity,
But here’s the inside scoop: it’s important to be real about this action, what it is, and what it isn’t.
embedded vid: victory at the capitol climate action: we shut them down!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sMjZ9lfRNY
(a few bits from article...)
Check out the recent media coverage in Associated Press (AP), TIME Magazine, CNN, Huffington Post, The Hill, Alternet, and USA Today. (see link above for them)
There is already a lot being written about how this action achieved our goals in building outside pressure, political will, and urgency to change the national conversation around the climate crisis and get bold policy in 2009.
I want to talk about another goal we had: movement building - and how we can make the most of it.
But to get excited about tactics for their own sake - devoid of strategic context and community accountability - would be to take the wrong lesson home.
We have talked a lot about how this was the largest mass action on global warming in history – and it was. We should be proud. It is also important for us to think of this as a first step – movements across the globe have been doing this kind of work for ages, and the youth climate movement is very new at it.
Caption: Video Id: 1sMjZ9lfRNY Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
Action dude 1: "Why are we saying we shut it down, when we didnt?"
Action dude 2: "Its open, Its open, its running"
CCA spokes girl: "We were never intended on staying overnight"
Action dude 1: "the point of civil disobediance, is forcing something, we forced nothing"
CCA spokes girl: "The point was not to get arrested, it was to raise awareness"
Summing up seems that the Powershift gathering was very successful, possibly up to 12,000 and that the numbers for the big action were far lower than expected or hoped for, ended up between 2,000- 2,500 blocking the plant. It was bitterly cold, more so than normal, a freeze had set in. Despite 2000+ people signing up for willing to be arrested, no actions led to the cops arresting anyone. From watching / listening to an hour long recording of yesterdays stream outside the gates of the station, they did block all the gates, for an hour or 2, then turned around and headed back after "job done", but some of the people were not happy with this, they felt that more should have been done, that they did not actually stop work, as inside much work was still going on. check 36.30 mins into the film to see the discussions / debate that happened from:
Live streaming video of the CCA!
http://www.capitolclimateaction.org/?p=614
and its original source
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1206055
The accompanying photo from the CCA site shows Action dude 2: and some of the "organisers"
See below, coverage on IMC-DC criticising the entire system of Powershift and CCA:
Not knowing much about this event / action / movement, untill a few days ago, I thought it was the US equivalent of the UK climate camp movement, which has been very anti-capitalist, very horizontally organised, self funded, self reflective etc.... largely anarchist characteristics, but without explicity being an "anarchist" only type event... The American sister climate camps, which i dont know too much about, are found here: http://www.climateconvergence.org/
Anyway, below is further coverage of the events, from DN! and IMC. My own view is that it is great that something has happened in the US, yes things have been underway already in the US, but this seems to have excited students and non students alike, beyond what was previously the norm. It has given further utterence of the ideas behind civil disobediance, resistance, direct aciton, indeed revolution. It may not be up to the mark for everyone, especially political activists with much years of experience of both theory and aciton, but maybe it might be a spark that gets many many many down that road, in the US, and indeed beyond...
Whatever way we achieve it, we have to mobilize huge numbers of people to stand up and to take action to bring about change. We have to know what change we want, and we do have to be bold. The last 3 days in the US did just this, fair play to all of them involved...
DN! headline today: Climate Activists Block Gates to D.C. Coal Plant
In Washington, D.C., more than 2,000 activists blocked the gates of a coal-fired power plant on Capitol Hill Monday in what was described as the largest display of civil disobedience on the climate crisis in US history. Police made no arrests. Days before the protest, congressional leaders said they want the Capitol Power Plant to drop coal and convert to natural gas. Protesters at the plant on Monday included NASA scientist James Hansen, the writer Wendell Berry and over 1,000 students who had attended the Power Shift conference on climate change.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/3/headlines#5
Indymedia coverage, criticisms of Powershift, debate:
IMC-DC:
Next target: shutting down coal-fired power plants in the mid-west
March 2, 2009-DC-Fired up Native Americans from Michigan and Chicago, and Mid-Western youth said today: "Next, we'll shut down coal-fired power plants in our backyard." And as others were lobbying their representatives for cleaner energy, green jobs and a just and sustainable environmentally sound future, they answered CapitolClimateAction.org's call: confronting snow and wind on a freezing day to blockade the gates of DC's South West coal-fired power plant fueling Congress. Their action followed PowerShift09.org-a week-end long skill-sharing conference attended by some 12,000 people. And from Michigan to Chicago, their youth leadership was propelled as they mobilized to insure a healthy future for their region, and the world… Here are some of their words, developed in Peoples MEDIA Center today...
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145630/index.php (some tek prob with link)
Cops Refuse to Arrest After Protestors Blockade Coal Power Plant (photos with story to folow)
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145629/index.php
Indigenous and MTR-harmed communites at Cap Power Plant protest (includes 3 audios at end of this post)
On March 2, a large coalition protested the use of coal at the Capitol Power Plant(AKA Capitol Steam Plant). It looked like at least 1,000 people in all-with Native Americans and those harmed by mountaintop removal mining in the forefront.
Audio:Speaker from Little River band of Ottawa Indians
Audio:song about the horrors of mountaintop removal mining
Audio:Lacy and Nadine give backgroundon the protest
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145628/index.php (some tek prob with link)
Uh, ohh; looking like the Big One's about to take out PowerShit...uh, PowerShift'09
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145622/index.php
Cynical take on the action, the powershift gathering etc... from "Mike Flugennock", which, unlike most other US threads it seems, led to a fair bit of online discussion, argument...
response
Corporate Greenwashing and PowerBshit09
True grassroots environmental activists are inherently anti-capitalist. This group has corporate sponsors. Their web lists Google, Cliff Bar among others as sponsors.
The organizational structure of this group is hierarchical and they have a paid staff of NGO careerists. This group has the tyranny of the committee structure, with the Steering Committee and all the assorted sub-committees with their chairpersons.
Their website format and graphics betrays a lifestyle marketing campaign on the lines of Facebook or Nike. This is youth targeted greenwashing. The constant reference to youth on the site: “Power Shift 09 will bring 10,000 young people to Washington” is partronizing. Young adults do not refer to themselves as youth.
One of the most absurd parts of their web site is the housing page, which offers discount rates at the Marriot, Days-inn and other corporate hotels. But check out the list of speakers, which include Nancy Pelosi, if you really want to see who’s behind this and what kind of contrived event it is.
The so called day of action scheduled for Monday will not be an example of civil disobedience it will be a staged event. It will be civil obedience in its most obsequious and servile form.
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145617/index.php
African-American Youth Join Thousands in DC to Demand Action on Climate
February 27 to March 2, 2009, African-American youth from all over the country will join 10,000 young leaders for Power Shift '09 in Washington, D.C. to demand that the President and Congress pass bold climate and energy policy in 2009 that dramatically reduces carbon emissions, creates millions of green jobs, and powers our country with 100% clean energy. Fifteen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), such as Spelman College, Grambling State University, and Morgan State University, are all sending representatives to this historic gathering.
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145556/index.php
We commit civil resistance not civil disobedience
In light of the massive Capitol Climate Action on March 2nd, we would like to take the opportunity to describe what we as a campaign have committed ourselves to. We celebrate this opportunity to share our thoughts with other progressive activists.
As a group with lots of direct action experience, NCNR has consistently encouraged organizations and individuals to recognize the difference between civil disobedience and civil resistance. We see the difference as being important in the struggle for nonviolent, positive social change.
http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145610/index.php
IMC-NYC:
THOUSANDS OF YOUTH DEMAND NEW CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY
from The Indypendent (The newspaper of the NYC independent media center. A free paper for free people)
Youth Call for Green Energy and End to Coal Power on Monday Through Massive Lobbying and Direct Action
“This action is not just about this power plant, it is about the 600 coal-fired power plants across the Untied States,” Wilson said. “This action is going to be a great first step because it will help us expand the small army of direct action activists who are trained and experienced and who are willing to put their bodies in the way of the coal industry. It will be this way until every coal power plant is off-line in the United States.”
http://www.indypendent.org/2009/03/02/dc-climate-actions/
mirror on IMC-DC: http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/145625/index.php
CCA stream of the "shut down", organisers green hats, action dude black hat
Closed for Climate Justice
http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/11/ottawa_indians_cap_coal_protest_m2.mp3
Embedded audio: http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/11/ottawa_indians_cap_coal_protest_m2.mp3
http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/1/black_water_mtr_song_m2.mp3
Embedded audio: http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/1/black_water_mtr_song_m2.mp3
http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/11/two_interviews_cap_coal_protest_m2.mp3
Embedded audio: http://dc.indymedia.org/usermedia/audio/11/two_interviews_cap_coal_protest_m2.mp3
Mass Civil Disobedience Against Use of Coal at Capitol Hill Power Plant. (1 of 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjhZDVwhX0c
Mass Civil Disobedience Against Use of Coal at Capitol Hill Power Plant. (2 of 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3igWIU6r8Ww
view vids also on DN! and get full transcript:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/2/capitol_climate_ac...ng_on
Caption: Video Id: IjhZDVwhX0c Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
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Power Shift grows into a socially inclusive climate protest
Predictions of seven inches of snow won't be enough to dampen the enthusiasm of climate change activists in Washington today
For those wanting to build a social movement on clean energy and climate safety, this weekend's Power Shift in Washington ticked every box...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/mar/02/...itter
THIS IS POWERSHIFT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9kgn8uCa-o
Powershift09 - Inside Before the White House March
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh_FINBgtrc
Caption: Video Id: f9kgn8uCa-o Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
Caption: Video Id: fh_FINBgtrc Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
in the Take Action (events) section of Treehugger there is a good article accompanied by a CCA postcard for Treehugger. In the comments you can see examples of how a simple idea, well organised and communicated, can VERY QUICKLY go Viral:
We will see how things pan out...
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/biggest-ever-ci...ticle
Stream still going strong, from a mobile camera, this type of live connection will hopefully become the norm for future demos, so if and when theres police brutality or mis conduct, its captured, and if enough people are "tuned in" and feel like doind stuff wherever they are... great. We are an ever evolving global network, this "window" just connects us that much more.
Anyway, there seems to be a lot of people on the march, its snowy, id say very cold, and they are being "escorted" by cops in hi vis yellow vests. Lots of chanting "The people united, will never be defeated", "hey hey, ho ho, dirty coal has got to go?" "This is what democracy looks like"..... They seem like they are buzzing, or, in more "hip youth slang"? they seem "stoked".
CCA postcard for Treehugger
Follow live updates from Washington D.C. as they protest at Capitol Power Plant. Theres presently 370 people tuned in, it sounds like Vandana Shiva is speaking to those following in the footsteps of her fellow country man, Mohandas K Gandhi, the mahathma.
via CCA!
http://www.capitolclimateaction.org/?p=614
Via Greenpeace
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/global-warming-.../coal
"2009 has to be the year for Earth Democracy"
heres the CCA Action Guidelines
http://www.capitolclimateaction.com/?page_id=2
Related: Seeding Deep Democracy - Vandana Shiva
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsK3V04LAvw
Mass Civil Disobediance: From Gandhi to Vandana Shiva:
Caption: Video Id: dsK3V04LAvw Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
Capitol Climate Action: Mass Civil Disobedience in DC Against Use of Coal at Capitol Hill Power Plant
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/2/capitol_climate_ac...ng_on
Dubbed the “Capitol Climate Action” people are demonstrating against coal at the Capitol Hill Power Plant, which still uses coal to heat and cool several key buildings including House and Senate offices, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and Union Station. We speak with two well-known environmentalists: Bill McKibben and Judy Bonds.
Julia "Judy" Bonds, Appalachian environmental activist from West Virginia and the director of Coal River Mountain Watch. She comes from a family of coal miners and won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2003 for leading the fight against mountaintop removal mining.
Bill McKibben, environmentalist and author who frequently writes about global warming and alternative energy. He is the author of nine books, including “Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future.” He is a co-founder of an environmental mobilization campaign called http://www.350.org/en/
Power Shift ’09: 12,000+ Students Attend Largest Youth Summit on Climate Change in U.S. History
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/2/power_shift_09_12_...dents
This weekend an estimated 12,000 young people were at the DC Convention Center for PowerShift 09, the largest youth summit on climate change in history. College and high school students from all fifty states, all Canadian provinces, as well as a dozen countries came together to discuss organizing for a clean energy revolution on the local and national levels. We hear some of their voices.
http://media.libsyn.com/media/democracynow/dn2009-0302-1.mp3
Embedded audio: http://media.libsyn.com/media/democracynow/dn2009-0302-1.mp3
http://media.libsyn.com/media/democracynow/dn2009-0302-1.mp3
Embedded audio: http://media.libsyn.com/media/democracynow/dn2009-0302-1.mp3
Coalition Calls for Switch to Natural Gas at Capitol Power Plant
http://dc.indymedia.org/feature/display/131709/index.php
Amsterdam solidarity demo with US activists
In support of the fine civil disobedience action that Greenpeace USA together with Bill McKibben, Jim Hansen and 90 other groups are undertaking today in Washington, there was a modest demo this morning at the U.S. consulate in Amsterdam, organized by Concerned Citizens against Climate Change, Greenpeace Nederland, and the Haags Milieucentrum. We distributed a bilingual leaflet, and left a letter to Obama at the consulate (in attachment) supporting your action. A consular official promised to fax it on to Washington.
The English side of the leaflet, titled “Renewables Yes, Fossil Fuel No. Support Obama and the Washington Mass Protest against Dirty Coal”, is copied below. The letter to Obama is in an attachment. The Greenpeace Nederland organizers have sent photos of our demo to your colleagues.
We admire your courage and that of all the other participants, students and older people, in this highly important action. Good luck.
Fraternal greetings,
Arthur Mitzman, for Concerned Citizens against Climate Change ( http://www.stopwarming.eu/ ).
http://www.capitolclimateaction.org/?p=578
firstly, a good vid summing up the ideas behind the weekend, embedded below:
Coal Action Heats Up Capitol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw1a2Ax6IB4
And secondly, a response from someone on the Grassroots list, regarding todays action etc, ill respons later to it:
Caption: Video Id: Kw1a2Ax6IB4 Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
Hi Conor.your best bet would be to come along to the meeting on the 14th of March(don't know venue yet) or try to join the Climate camp e-mail list by e-mailing here campprocess@gmail.com
Conor, yeah, the climate camps the last 2 years have been really really inspirational. Ecotopia, the nearest thing to climate camp in Ireland, back in 2002 also rocked, I imagine some of that network will re-surface. Also, at end of last years climate camp, a request for assistance was put out to the climate camp network to support the struggle in Rossport, some of them arrived after their "rebel raft regatta" actions in the waters near Kingsnorth. Theres also a "zero carbon caravan" being organised, perhaps post climate camp ireland, people might bike ride and sail to denmark for the big big gathering in december. It would be nice to hear how things are going regarding climate camp in Ireland, I expect it will rock, and grow more and more and more, as this movement is truly doing: going viral, becoming effective, forcing change...
Words from George Monbiot about the UK climate camp goings on: “I find this movement the most exciting thing that I´ve ever been involved in”
related article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/aug/21/com...sport
Vid for the big day of action from famous US actor:
Susan Sarandon: “Take a stand”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-HXYXvZZWk&hl=es
Regards from BCN
dunk
Powershift '09 : The largest act of civil disobedience to happen in the US this Monday!!!
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I just found a contact for the climate camp... for anyone else interested its gluaiseacht@gmail.com . Still, if anyone has any info that would be sound.
I heard about this, I'm excited to hear how it all goes...
If anyone from 'climate camp Ireland' is on this thread can you please e-mail me. I want to get involved. And if anyone has any info on this years camp PLEASE tell me.
I cant wait for the climate camp!!!