SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
photo: Tar Sands Blockade
Direct Action Continues: Tar Sands Activists Thwart Pipeline Progress
Second day of nonviolent direct action by Tar Sands Blockade in Texas brings TransCanada's work to a stand-still
Sep 25, 2012
UPDATE: The two activists, Shannon Bebe and Benjamin Franklin, that had chained themselves to TransCanada's equipment to halt the destruction have been arrested.
Activists in Texas with Tar Sands Blockade have continued their second day of nonviolent resistance to TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline by chaining themselves to the company's equipment.
8 activists continue their tree sit-in begun Monday near Winnsboro,Texas to stop TransCanada's massive tree cutting machinery from bulldozing a path for the tar sands pipeline and are prepared to stay as long as necessary to stop the pipeline, they say.
Two more activists, Texas-born Shannon Bebe, 26, and Houston-native and small business owner Benjamin Franklin, 34, have joined the action by chaining themselves to TransCanada's equipment to protect the 8 activists in the trees and further thwart the deforestation and, ultimately, the tar sands pipeline.
"The theft and destruction of people's homes, the contamination that's likely to occur once the pipeline is completed, and the release of the carbon bomb that is the Athabascan tar sands formation make the need for action now unignorable," said Franklin.
"The risk of inaction is far greater than the risk of taking action - even risky action like this," adds Ron Seifert, a Tar Sands Blockade spokesperson. "We are committed to undertaking a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience to stop construction of Keystone XL, and Tar Sands Blockade will continue to protect the Winnsboro tree village. It is a symbol of all the homes and families crudely threatened by this tar sands pipeline. Sometimes, one must simply stand one's ground in the face of eminent threats like those posed by this dangerous pipeline in order protect the health and safety of their families, loved ones, and that of their neighbors."
The Wood County Sheriff and three other officers are at the scene, where the destruction has been successfully halted by the activists.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
UPDATE: The two activists, Shannon Bebe and Benjamin Franklin, that had chained themselves to TransCanada's equipment to halt the destruction have been arrested.
Activists in Texas with Tar Sands Blockade have continued their second day of nonviolent resistance to TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline by chaining themselves to the company's equipment.
8 activists continue their tree sit-in begun Monday near Winnsboro,Texas to stop TransCanada's massive tree cutting machinery from bulldozing a path for the tar sands pipeline and are prepared to stay as long as necessary to stop the pipeline, they say.
Two more activists, Texas-born Shannon Bebe, 26, and Houston-native and small business owner Benjamin Franklin, 34, have joined the action by chaining themselves to TransCanada's equipment to protect the 8 activists in the trees and further thwart the deforestation and, ultimately, the tar sands pipeline.
"The theft and destruction of people's homes, the contamination that's likely to occur once the pipeline is completed, and the release of the carbon bomb that is the Athabascan tar sands formation make the need for action now unignorable," said Franklin.
"The risk of inaction is far greater than the risk of taking action - even risky action like this," adds Ron Seifert, a Tar Sands Blockade spokesperson. "We are committed to undertaking a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience to stop construction of Keystone XL, and Tar Sands Blockade will continue to protect the Winnsboro tree village. It is a symbol of all the homes and families crudely threatened by this tar sands pipeline. Sometimes, one must simply stand one's ground in the face of eminent threats like those posed by this dangerous pipeline in order protect the health and safety of their families, loved ones, and that of their neighbors."
The Wood County Sheriff and three other officers are at the scene, where the destruction has been successfully halted by the activists.
UPDATE: The two activists, Shannon Bebe and Benjamin Franklin, that had chained themselves to TransCanada's equipment to halt the destruction have been arrested.
Activists in Texas with Tar Sands Blockade have continued their second day of nonviolent resistance to TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline by chaining themselves to the company's equipment.
8 activists continue their tree sit-in begun Monday near Winnsboro,Texas to stop TransCanada's massive tree cutting machinery from bulldozing a path for the tar sands pipeline and are prepared to stay as long as necessary to stop the pipeline, they say.
Two more activists, Texas-born Shannon Bebe, 26, and Houston-native and small business owner Benjamin Franklin, 34, have joined the action by chaining themselves to TransCanada's equipment to protect the 8 activists in the trees and further thwart the deforestation and, ultimately, the tar sands pipeline.
"The theft and destruction of people's homes, the contamination that's likely to occur once the pipeline is completed, and the release of the carbon bomb that is the Athabascan tar sands formation make the need for action now unignorable," said Franklin.
"The risk of inaction is far greater than the risk of taking action - even risky action like this," adds Ron Seifert, a Tar Sands Blockade spokesperson. "We are committed to undertaking a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience to stop construction of Keystone XL, and Tar Sands Blockade will continue to protect the Winnsboro tree village. It is a symbol of all the homes and families crudely threatened by this tar sands pipeline. Sometimes, one must simply stand one's ground in the face of eminent threats like those posed by this dangerous pipeline in order protect the health and safety of their families, loved ones, and that of their neighbors."
The Wood County Sheriff and three other officers are at the scene, where the destruction has been successfully halted by the activists.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.