Extraction Resistance: Solidarity with Tar Sands Blockade and Unis’tot’en Camp

In response to the Tar Sands Blockade call out for Solidarity on January 7th, radical groups and organizations from across the Colorado Front Range are joining forces on January 5th and 6th to raise donations and material support in the fight against the tar sands and industrial extraction. Deep Green Resistance, Denver Anarchist Black Cross, and other local groups are collaborating to organize Extraction Resistance: Solidarity with the Tar Sands Blockade & Unis’tot’en Camp.

In addition to collecting funds and supplies for both the Tar Sands Blockade and the Unis’tot’en Camp, the two-day event will include workshops and teach-ins at the 27 Social Center (2727 W 27th Ave Denver, CO) on radical resistance to extraction across Colorado & North America.

With the aim of providing a space for education and discussion around a wide range of topics, the organizers hope to foster further discussion and facilitate new relationships that will cultivate resistance against industrial extraction in Colorado and solidarity with those fighting it elsewhere.

Workshops–which will cover a variety of topics including radical environmentalism, social justice, anti-extraction and direct action–will be hosted by Deep Green Resistance, Denver Anarchist Black Cross, the Beehive Design Collective, indigenous organizer & NVDA trainer Robert Chanate, Glenn Morris of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, and more. An updated schedule is posted below.

Besides building local capacity and networks, the event also aims to directly support those who are on the front lines in the fight against the tar sands and industrial extraction. The event will serve as a fundraiser, with a requested donation at the door of $5-20, with all proceeds going to the Tar Sands Blockade and the Unis’tot’en Camp. However, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Lunch will be provided for those attending, including vegan and gluten-free options.

We will also be collecting donations of materials for these groups, so please bring any camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), bicycles (working or not), warm winter clothes, climbing gear, rain gear, non-perishable food, rope, medical supplies, and tools (shovels, saws, drills, etc.). For a complete list, see the Tar Sands Blockade’s ‘Wish List’:http://tarsandsblockade.org/donate-3/wishlist/

The Facebook event can be found here.

Workshop Descriptions:

The Beehive Collective presents:
The True Cost of Fossil Fuels: Climate Justice and the Fight for our Future!(10:15am, Saturday, January 5th)

Join us for an interactive, graphics-based workshop about the growing
movement for climate justice on this continent.

This summer North America saw an inspiring amount of grass-roots
organizing against fossil fuel extraction.  From growing resistance to
hydro-fracking for natural gas, to the derailing of the Keystone XL
pipeline project,  to the continued disruption of mountaintop removal
sites in Appalachia, folks are waking up to the threat posed by dirty,
dangerous fossil fuel extraction and working to build alternatives.

At this crucial moment, we would like to invite your community to be part
of this dialogue. The Beehive will share the stories of different fossil
fuel struggles around the continent using the acclaimed “True Cost of
Coal” graphic. We will engage participants by mixing together antidotes
from the coalfields of Appalachia, statistics about different forms of
fossil fuel extraction, and a variety of activities to learn more about
the struggles against fossil fuels in this region and weave them into this
growing tapestry of resistance!

Hidden Impacts of Fracking In Colorado (1:15pm, Saturday, January 5th)

Presented by Shane Davis,  local fracking activist
The state of Colorado has failed to prevent adverse impacts to the environment and to human health.  Uncovering official State documents reveals the shocking truth of the harmful threats we face from mining that uses hydraulic fracturing. (Data mining workshop 101: Industry language, acronyms, departments, official docx, website architecture and acquisition methods to compile meaningful, useful data)

Time Is Short: The Case for Underground Resistance (3:30 pm, Saturday, January 5th)

Every living system on the planet is in decline, and industrial capitalism is killing Earth. While countless communities around the world are fighting back, we must be honest: overall, we are losing. Deep Green Resistance advocates for organized, strategic underground action to collapse the global industrial economy before it is too late. This presentation will explore the history of underground action and the it’s potential as a strategy to save a dying world.

Liberals and Radicals: Critical Theory for Effective Action (4:15 and 5:15 pm, Saturday, January 5th)

Members of Deep Green Resistance will present and facilitate a discussion about liberalism and radicalism, two political doctrines often talked about but not understood.The historic and contemporary dominance of liberalism has handed us a framework that misunderstands the nature of power and social change, and that truncates actions that would otherwise be effective. By re-examining liberalism and radicalism in the context of the environmental movement, we can make better decisions and take more effective action.

For more information, contact DGR Colorado at deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net

Dinner and Movie Night at Woodbine Ecology Center

What: Everyone is invited to a dinner and movie night at Woodbine Ecology Center on Wednesday September 19th. The evening will be focused on a discussion about big oil and what folks can do about it. As we all know, Colorado is about to head on an insane path of fracking, and has done so already in many places devastating our sacred water supply. It is very important that we organize and work towards stopping this atrocity. The documentary film we have chosen is called Sweet Crude (http://www.sweetcrudemovie.com/home.php) and illustrates how the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta is dealing with big oil in their community. We would love to get everyone concerned together to discuss this important issue for a night of food, fun and discussion.

When: Wednesday, September 19th. At 5pm will be dinner, at 6:30 the screening of Sweet Crude will begin, and a fire circle discussion will follow. The evening is scheduled to wrap up around 9.

Where:Woodbine Ecology Center. 2584 Colorado 67, Sedalia, CO, 80135. Woodbine is a beautiful place nestled in the foothills of the Pike National forest.

Cost: Film screening and dinner is $20.00. All proceeds will go to Woodbine Ecology Center in support of their work towards indigenous values and sustainable communities.Please distribute the above information about the event if possible, send it off to any potentially interested parties, and let’s plan on having a great evening getting to know one another and strategizing together. Please RSVP by the 17th so we know how much food to prepare!  If you have any questions or to RSVP, email deanna.meyer@earthlink.net or deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net. Facebook link is here.

New Zine Available: An Open Letter to Fellow Environmentalists

Now available for your reading and distributing pleasure, a new DGR zine-formatted version of An Open Letter to Fellow Environmentalists is ready for download. “An Open Letter to Fellow Environmentalists” is an essay about the fallacy of clean energy as a means of environmental preservation, written by a member of DGR Colorado early this year.

“I know what it’s like. I know exactly how it feels to look around and see a world not just dying but being suffocated, being tortured and maimed, sacrificed on the twin altars of profit and production. As a young person today, I know what it’s like to fear the future, to fear for my future. I—like many of you—have read all the studies and reports I need to see to know what’s coming, what disaster is now screaming, all but unchallenged, down the track upon us.”

Let us know what you think of the zine and the essay, and feel free to spread it around within your own circles.

Women’s Day of Peace 2012: The Life Givers of the Nations say no more alcohol in White Clay.

***On Thursday, July 19th DGR Colorado will host a screening of the documentary “Battle for Whiteclay” to raise awareness about the problem of Whiteclay and to raise money and support for a caravan that will drive from Colorado up to Pine Ridge to participate in the Aug. 26th Women’s Day of Peace. The screening will take place at Left Hand Books in Boulder, and will begin at 7pm. Contact DGR Colorado (deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net) for more information.***

Women’s Day of Peace 2012: The Life Givers of the Nations say no more alcohol in White Clay.

Lifting our Hearts from Wounded Knees
August, 26th 2012 12:00 p.m. Billy Mills Hall Pine Ridge, SD
Action against White Clay Nebraska

END:CIV Screening & Discussion June 14th

Join Deep Green Resistance and Occupy Denver Environmental Defense on Thursday, June 14th for a screening and discussion of Frank Lopez’s groundbreaking film, END:CIV at the Gypsy Cafe (1279 Marion St) at 6:00pm. The film, which is based on Derrick Jensen’s two voume book Endgame, examines the destruction and violence that defines civilization, and poses serious questions about why, and how, we must resist.

END:CIV examines our culture’s addiction to systematic violence and environmental exploitation, and probes the resulting epidemic of poisoned landscapes and shell-shocked nations. END:CIV asks: “If your homeland was invaded by aliens who cut down the forests, poisoned the water and air, and contaminated the food supply, would you resist?”

The causes underlying the collapse of civilizations are usually traced to overuse of resources. As we write this, the world is reeling from economic chaos, peak oil, climate change, environmental degradation, and political turmoil. Every day, the headlines re-hash stories of scandal and betrayal of the public trust. We don’t have to make outraged demands for the end of the current global system — it seems to be coming apart already.

But acts of courage, compassion and altruism abound, even in the most damaged places. By documenting the resilience of the people hit hardest by war and repression, and the heroism of those coming forward to confront the crisis head-on, END:CIV illuminates a way out of this all-consuming madness and into a saner future.

For more information, contact deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net, or call 720-425-4955.

Deep Green Resistance to Attend Unis’tot’en Action Camp

Deep Green Resistance will be participating in, and working to raise awareness and support for, the 3rd Annual Unis’tot’en Action Camp in Unis’tot’en territory in the north of Unceded Occupied so-called British Columbia. We seek to stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en and other First Nations in their fight against the exploitation and degradation brought on by the tar sands, including the Enbridge Northern Gateway and other pipelines, fuel terminals, and refineries. Members of Deep Green Resistance will participate in the Action Camp, as well as organize a series of events to raise support and collect donations for the Unis’tot’en Action Camp and the struggle.

2012 March for Justice Benefit June 3rd

On Sunday, June 3rd, Deep Green Resistance Colorado and JenLo Therapy Farm will host a benefit and fundraiser for the 2012 March for Justice in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. On June 9th, the Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation will march for justice against the genocide of opportunist alcohol dealers in the border town of White Clay, Nebraska. A caravan will be leaving from Boulder/Denver June 8th, and allies willing to act and march in solidarity are needed, as well as material support.

Because of its damaging cultural, social and health effects, alcohol is prohibited on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The town of White Clay, Nebraska sits just 200 feet from the southern border of the reservation, and less than two miles from the town of Pine Ridge, the largest on the reservation. While the population of White Clay is only 14, there are 4 liquor stores in the town which make millions of dollars each year selling alcohol as a border town, feeding off of the continued destruction of the Oglala Lakota people.

We will be showing the documentary “Battle for White Clay”, which presents the problem of White Clay and the history of resistance to the alcohol town. The event will collect donations and material support–in the form of funds, canned foods, blankets, and fans/air conditioners–for the action, which will be taken up by a caravan of supporters from Colorado to participate and support the March for Justice. There will be a lunch served at 12, and the film will be shown at 2. There will also be a short tour & introduction to JenLo Therapy Farm, and the Earth Guardians may be performing. A $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away. JenLo Therapy Farms is located at 5125 Ute Highway in Lyons.

Please contact deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net, or call 303-823-6336 with questions. For more information about the 2012 March for Justice, go here, or read this recent article in the Denver Post.

March for Justice – A Call for Solidarity and Support

March for Justice

In Memory of Wally Black Elk & Ron Hard Heart

June 9^th 10:00 am

On June 9^th, the Oglala Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Reservation will march for justice against the genocide of opportunist alcohol dealers in the border town of White Clay, Nebraska. A caravan will be leaving from Boulder/Denver June 8^th, and allies willing to act and march in solidarity are needed, as well as material support.

Because of its damaging cultural, social and health effects, alcohol is prohibited on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The town of White Clay, Nebraska sits just 200 feet from the southern border of the reservation, and less than two miles from the town of Pine Ridge, the largest on the reservation. While the population of White Clay is only 14, there are 4 liquor stores in the town which make millions of dollars each year selling alcohol as a border town.

The existence of White Clay, and the alcohol that is synonymous with its name, is responsible for violence, abuse and many deaths each year. These retailers routinely violate Nebraska liquor law by selling beer to minors and intoxicated persons, knowingly selling to bootleggers who resell the beer on the reservation, permitting on-premise consumption of beer in violation of restrictions placed on off-sale-only licenses, and exchanging beer for sexual favors .The vast majority of those who purchase beer in White Clay have in fact no legal place to consume it, since possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the Pine Ridge Reservation remain illegal under tribal law. Many people have died in the streets due to exposure, as the state of Nebraska fails to uphold state law or to police White Clay. As long as the liquor stores in White Clay remain in business, the genocide of the Oglala Lakota people will continue.

On June 9^th 1999 two Lakota men, Wally Black Elk and Ron Hard Heart, were brutally murdered in White Clay. It is in their memory that we will march for justice.

We will leave Colorado early on June 8^th, and rendezvous with other allies at the Wounded Knee Museum in Pine Ridge at 3 pm, and will camp out that night. The next morning, we will gather at Billy Mills Hall in the town of Pine Ridge at 11:00 am and begin the march to White Clay at noon.

Those interested in joining the caravan to Pine Ridge should contact Deep Green Resistance Colorado (deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net). We are seeking material support, in the form of food and donations for the caravan. Additionally, we will be collecting donated fans and air conditioners to bring to elders on Pine Ridge.

Join us in demanding justice and an end to liquor in White Clay!

Sweet Crude Film Screening & Discussion – May 15

“Before the coming of oil, we had good fishing, rich estuaries, good costal land, good harvest, unpolluted…and then this thing called oil came.”

Deep Green Resistance Colorado will be hosting a screening and discussion of the film Sweet Crude, which documents the grassroots community resistance to oil extraction in the Niger Delta on Tuesday, May 15^th in the basement of the George Reynolds Library (3595 Table Mesa) at 6:00pm.

The Niger Delta is often considered the most polluted place on Earth. For half a century, oil extraction by transnational corporations has gone unregulated. Here, citizens of an oil-rich nation struggle to eat in a land that can no longer support them. The Delta’s water and soil have been fouled by the same oil production that accounts for more than 80 percent of the country’s revenue. Traditional fishing and farming livelihoods are all but gone. Potable drinking water is rare.. Families are broken up, as men die young or take off for the cities to find jobs.

Occupy the Machine!

In Honor of Struggles Against the Extraction Industry Everywhere,

 In Memory of the Workers Whose Lives Were Taken By BP Two Years Ago,

 Join Us In Saying:

 

“CLEAN AIR AND WATER FOR ALL”

“TAKE BACK EARTH DAY!”

 LET’S SHUT DOWN THE TAR SANDS AND BLOCKADE AN OIL REFINERY!

 

What: A festival of resistance and alternatives to the fossil fuel economy, in the shadow of the Houston Valero refinery, culminating in a refinery blockade.

When: April 19th – 24th

Where: Hartmann Park, Manchester Neighborhood, Houston, TX

Why:  The Alberta Tar Sands project is uprooting and poisoning Indigenous people in Canada while destroying the ancient boreal forests that are their home. The huge amount of carbon released will seriously worsen global climate change. The Keystone XL Pipeline will take oil from one of the most ecologically devastating projects on the face of the planet to Houston.

In Houston it will be refined by Valero and other companies. These refineries are surrounded by working-class neighborhoods throughout the Gulf, bringing cancer-causing toxins directly into their backyards. The majority of the Tar Sands oil processed in these refineries will be shipped overseas, ensuring that North American oil workers and those whose rights and lives have been uprooted by these companies won’t even see any long-term benefit for themselves.

Meanwhile, two years after the Deep Water Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and devastated the communities of the Gulf, BP has had a record year of profits. BP has escaped justice yet again in its recent legal victory against the shrimpers and fishermen who they’ve put out of work and the families of the workers who died under their watch.

We invite those who oppose the Tar Sands Project and who want clean air, water and soil for all to come down to Houston for a festival of resistance and alternatives to the fossil fuel economy. Let’s continue to build the power of our communities, amplify the voices of those most affected by companies like Valero, and join together in nonviolent direct action to blockade a refinery.

Friday, April 20th will be the beginning of a historic escalation in the battle for our rights to clean air and water, the struggle to bring justice to those who wreak havoc on Gulf communities, and the fight to stop these companies from destroying the planet.

We plan to wake up an oil refinery Saturday and Sunday too, escalating our blockade as necessary. And we will use our rights to public assembly and protest—rights that have been under increasing attack.

Waves of support will be welcome and needed.

How You Can Participate:

We need it all. There are as many levels of involvement and risk as there are individuals, affinity groups, and organizations willing to participate.

Not everyone will want to risk arrest by participating in the refinery blockade. That’s OK. However, many people are willing and able to take that risk. We appreciate all levels of commitment.

There will be room and plans for those who wish to cooperate with the police, and there will be room and plans for those who do not wish to cooperate with the police that wish to engage in jail solidarity tactics. Come prepared to tell us what you want to do.

Contribute to the Festival: Anyone who has a desire and ability to teach a class or hold a training as part of this event should contact us. Want to present a workshop or training? Please contact our Recruitment, Training, and Personnel Committee at: otmrecruitmentandtraining@riseup.net

Offer Material Support: Donate through our website, offer a rideshare or bring a bus, bring medical supplies, donate or bring food, come prepared to cook food, bring educational materials like zines and books!  Able to contribute materials for this campaign? Please contact the Logistics Committee at: otmlogistics@riseup.net  Able to contribute monetary support? Please contact the Fundraising Committee at: otmfundraising@riseup.net

Be the Media: Bring your own video camera or audio recording equipment, blog on site, bring portable wireless devices, write articles, embed reporters with us!  Interested in contributing to the media team? Contact our Communications and Outreach Committee at: otmcommunications@riseup.net

Be the Blockade/Bring the Blockade: Come prepared with others to participate in non-violent direct action. Once you arrive, we will train you in the tactics and strategy we plan to use to sustain this blockade. Bring puppets, bring inflatables, bring signs, bring anything that could be useful.

Come in caravans, bring your friends.Have questions about joining the blockade? Contact the Recruitment, Training, and Personnel Committee at: otmrecruitmentandtraining@riseup.net

–The Occupy the Machine Coalition

Have general questions, comments, or not sure where to direct your query? Contact us and let us know at occupythemachine@riseup.net!