| Connecticut Joins with Tar Sands Blockade and Over 25 Communities Worldwide Taking Bold Actions to Defend Our Homes From Dirty Energy and Climate Change
Bridgeport, CT - November 19 - Today, Capitalism vs. the Climate rallied and dropped a banner visible from the I-95 highway, protesting Chase's financing dirty climate-changing energy sources including the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The events are part of a week of solidarity actions by more than 25 communities across the world to demonstrate an urgent need to address the climate crisis. These actions are in direct response to the aftershock of Hurricane Sandy, closing out the hottest year on record and the ongoing ecological devastation of tar sands extraction.
In mid-afternoon, Capitalism vs. the Climate, a group taking direct action against the root causes of climate change, dropped a banner from the Housatonic Community College parking garage roof, visible from the I-95 highway. The banner displayed the Chase logo turned into a hurricane and the text "Tar Sands = Sandy. Funded By Chase." The group then rallied outside the Chase branch on Boston Avenue, urging customers to move their money from Chase to local credit unions. They distributed flyers documenting how banks started foreclosing on 151 Bridgeport homes in October and how Chase has underwritten $14 billion to companies operating in the tar sands since 2007.
"From foreclosures to the Keystone XL pipeline to coal and climate change, Chase's policies disproportionately hurt low-income communities, especially in Connecticut's black and Latino neighborhoods. It is impossible to separate environmental and economic justice issues," said Carmen Cordero, a board member of Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice. CCEJ, along with its Bridgeport-based affiliate Fairfield County Environmental Justice Network, proudly joined the rally. Climate change continues to place a disproportionate burden on low-income communities and communities of color around the world, and today's events highlight this struggle as locals rise up to defend their homes from climate chaos.
Photo taken from I-95 South:
This week's actions are happening in more than 25 locations. Occupy Sandy and Stop Spectra Pipeline Coalition takes action to respond to the devastation of the climate super powered storm, Hurricane Sandy and put an end to hydro-fracking. Over 3,000 people rallied at the White House to call on President Obama to reject the permit for the Keystone XL northern segment. Forty people walked onto a TransCanada worksite near Nacogdoches, Texas. More information and photos are available at
http://tarsandsblockade.org/12...
"It's encouraging to see these solidarity actions spring up across the globe in response to the escalating devastation of climate change," said Nicole Browne of Tar Sands Blockade, who helped put out the call for the solidarity actions. "From the Alberta tar sands to the forests of East Texas and all around the world, these actions give hope to people everywhere who are defending their homes from reckless energy extraction that is fueling climate chaos."
"Whether it's implementing economic justice or surviving climate change impacts like Hurricane Sandy, we will need systemic social changes. We think the solutions are coming from Texas's Tar Sands Blockade and New York's Occupy Sandy, not from multinationals and megabanks like JP Morgan Chase," said Capitalism vs. the Climate.
Below, Tar Sands Blockade in Texas has stood in the way of construction of Keystone XL pipeline since September 24th. Read more at tarsandsblockade.org
 |
MLN is powered by