10,000 protesters from Occupy and environmental movements surrounded the White House yesterday, urging Obama not to ink a deal for the Keystone Pipeline—a giant oil pipeline that would bring oil from Canada’s controversial tar sands to ports on the Gulf of Mexico.
Here in Portland, about 300 activists marched through downtown for the cause. Freelancer Georgia Perry was there and has this recap:
Portland’s event started with speeches by local environmental leaders who differed between urging President Obama to ban the pipeline (“Obama has the opportunity to do the right thing today,” said Climate Justice Portland’s Kari Koch), and writing him off—saying citizens should take matters into their own hands.
After all the speeches, bike cops escorted the protestors as they marched from Schrunk plaza to the courthouse next to Pioneer Square, enforcing traffic laws broke up the march into chunks.
“Patience is a virtue,” one officer said to a group lamenting getting separated from the protestors who made it across while the “walk” sign was still on.
Mimicking DC’s protest, the group joined hands and formed a giant circle around the building… though, unlike DC’s, Portland’s circle had a few gaps. Trying to fill gaps resembled an awkward corporate team building exercise, but after a bit, the protestors settled in and stood their ground for an hour. Chanting ensued: “What do we want? Green jobs! When do we want it? Now!” and “Obama! God damn! We will stop the tar sands!” were some favorites. Those at the southeast corner of the courthouse struggled to keep their chants on-meter despite the Star Wars theme song being trumpeted by a nearby busker.
So now Occupy is about tar sands? Huh…
If we don’t get the access to oil from Alberta, it will end up being shipped to China. As we continue to ship it from further areas of the earth.
It WILL get used.
These fools…
The LAST thing the protesters and O want are for the US to become more energy independent
Using bike cops to break up the march by making marchers obey all traffic laws is how PPB finally killed Critical Mass in Portland.
Don’t let this happen to YOU, Occupy!
randy, I’m of the opinion that pissing people off is not the best way to get more folks on your side.
Your cause should provoke empathy from the public.
For the sake of your own occupy beliefs, some of which I share with you, I urge you and others to rethink this strategy.
It’s ridiculous that political protest in this rule-loving country is so orderly that protesters allow themselves to be moved by bike cops in precisely the same manner that baby ducks are led.
Anyway, I think the guy in the photo has the right idea – there should be room in the movement for more fisting.
Some people might have been confused and/or cheering for another cause, the “Bring Down Tarzan King of The Jungle” one.
You ever been in Germany?
In alot of cities, people don’t even jaywalk over there.
You get looked at funny.
I believe it was Lenin who said you could never start a revolution in Germany because there were too many signs saying ‘keep off the grass’.
In an art installation in Soma SF the same idea scared the shit outta me, or made me think for a while, with the same concept. Then I went to see Crumbs original works and it all came back to normal. But I digged that.
Occupy is about Extreme concentration of wealth and the welding of power and influence at all levels exclusively for the needs of the plutocracy has destroyed our democracies, made our governments corporate shills and threatens to destroy life itself.
Which the Tar Sands extraction (and the destruction of the climate), the government corruption in the approval process, the greed of RBS and Transcanada, the greed of local companies like Essco that provide piepline equipment, etc. all tie in rather well.
…and the misinformation of the media, masses et. all.
See above.
They ain’t stoppin’ NUTHIN. I worked on that pipeline for 2 of the past 3 years in ND. It’s already here. Not even a sweet little granny protesting by standing in the way of the first CAT on her family farm (falls on the ROW, doncha know?) can halt this “progress”.
Suckers.