permaculture

[Bob Waldrop <bob@bobwaldrop.net>]

The Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance is doing great work opposing the
industrialization of rural Oklahoma and the construction of dangerous
pipelines through farm country. As many of you know, I was arrested
earlier last year for chaining myself to an excavator. I know it seems
like a useless activity, but when I went through my decision process, I
decided that the future was worth the personal risk. And however useless
it seems to people on the outside, the energy industry seems to be
taking it very seriously, judging by their way out of proportion
reaction to the most recent escapade of the Great Plains Tar Sands
resistors.

During their protest at the new skyscraper headquarters of Devon Energy
-- our very own Dark Tower that looms over our city lol -- a banner was
unfurled featuring a “Hunger Games Mockingjay” holding a monkey wrench.
The banner was decorated with glitter.

I know, how subversive is glitter, right?

During the demonstration, some of the glitter fell on the floor.

In response, Oklahoma authorities have charged two of the demonstrators
with the crime of “terrorism hoax”. Below is the statement of Stefan
Warner, who I have known for many years and he is a stand-up guy with
love and concern for the planet, its critters, and all people. He is not
a terrorist, he is an honest man attempting to speak truth to power.
It's like Oklahoma authorities setting the dogs on the Civil Rights
protestors in the 1960s. It seems as though we haven't changed much.

Devon Energy, on its part, seems well prepared and even excited to play
its dominating role in this our very own Hunger Games saga.

We here in Oklahoma have a great need for solidarity actions. If we
don't hang together, we most assuredly will be hung out to dry by the
increasingly cruel and merciless social darwinist attitudes of our
governor, mayor, many city council people, the state legislature, and
etc. The ruling regime in Oklahoma City makes a mockery of the rule of
law as they subvert the democratic process to take from the people and
give to their campaign contributors and special interest supporters.

Oklahoma has a long history of vicious racism, as bad as anything that
has gone on further south of us. Events that happen here are not widely
publicized elsewhere.

So the great need of the moment is SOLIDARITY! Solidarity is not just a
feel good emotion. It is action on behalf of others during a time of
grave need. Here are three things everyone can do. It's especially
important for our leaders to hear from people outside the state.

+ If you're into prayer. . . Pray for us and those who have been
arrested, and for Oklahoma authorities involved with this.

+ Make this injustice visible. Write letters to your local papers.
Publish this statement in your blogs, newsletters, on your websites.
Tell your friends in other states about this outrageous situation.
Tweet! Facebook! Instagram! Pinterest!

+ Write letters to Oklahoma authorities (suggested addresses and names
below). Tell them that you are watching what happens with this. Tell
them that charging people with the crime of “terrorism hoax” is a
terrible over-reaction that speaks very poorly of the commitment of the
government of this state to protecting the rights of citizens to dissent
and protest. Tell them that branding dissent as terrorism is evil and
violates the First Amendment of the Constitution. It is already making
Oklahoma the laughing stock of the nation.

Send copies to Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance so we will be
encouraged by your solidarity! gptsrmedia@gmail.com .

In solidarity, Bob Waldrop Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House
This statement is online at http://www.bobwaldrop.net/?p=1587

Mayor Mick Cornett
City of Oklahoma City
200 N. Walker
OKC, OK 73102
mayor@okc.gov

Governor Mary Fallin
State Capitol Building
Oklahoma City, Ok 73105

David Prater
Oklahoma County District Attorney
320 Robert S. Kerr, Room 505
Oklahoma City, OK 73102 ----

RELEASE: ANTI-FRACKING ACTIVISTS ARRESTED ON “TERRORISM HOAX” CHARGES
RELEASE STATEMENTS. by GPTSR

Please consider sharing this and donating to our legal defense fund!
http://gptarsandsresistance.org/donate/

For Immediate Release:

ANTI-FRACKING ACTIVISTS ARRESTED ON “TERRORISM HOAX” CHARGES RELEASE
STATEMENTS.
Contact: gptsrmedia@gmail.com Moriah Stephenson: 405-203-3675 Stefan
Warner: 405-863-2888

Oklahoma City, OK: On December 13th of last year, anti-fracking
activists with Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance staged a demonstration
at the Devon Tower to protest the State of Oklahoma’s subsidizing of
irresponsible and dangerous oil and gas extraction and the health
effects that Devon’s practices have on communities in Oklahoma and
elsewhere.

Four were arrested—two for locking themselves inside a revolving door,
and two for hanging a banner inside the (open to the public) atrium of
Devon Tower. Moriah Stephenson and Stefan Warner, the two Oklahomans
arrested for dropping the banner, were booked in on charges of
“disorderly conduct,” “criminal trespass,” and “terrorism hoax”—the
latter referring to a small quantity of glitter that fell off the banner.

The escalated charge of “terrorism hoax” carries a maximum sentence of
10 years in prison, and serves to brand activists with the “terrorist”
label to delegitimize real concerns for the health and safety of
Oklahomans. The charges against Stephenson and Warner are a part of a
larger campaign to criminalize dissent—the Canadian-based corporation
TransCanada has been meeting with local law enforcement, including the
Oklahoma Fusion Center in April of 2013, and encouraging them to pursue
terrorism charges for acts of peaceful protest.

> From journalist Will Potter: “TransCanada offers police a playbook on
how to go after activists. The company suggests prosecuting using
criminal trespass, criminal conspiracy, criminal instrument or device
(the PVC pipe used for non-violent civil disobedience), grand juries,
and “federal/state anti-terrorism statues [sic].
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/transcanada-police-presentation-on-protests/7094/


“My intention on December 13th, in the tradition of Rev. Martin Luther
King Junior was to ‘arouse the conscience’ of a state that refuses to
provide storm shelters for children at public schools yet has the gall
to pay out $645,000,000 in tax subsidies to the oil and gas industry the
past three fiscal years,” says Stefan Warner, one of the Oklahoma City
residents facing 10 years behind bars on possible “terrorism hoax”
charges for a glittery banner.

[See also: http://okpolicy.org/unnecessary-and-unaffordable ]

“I know what the water looks like after a frack site has wreaked its
havoc, and I know what cancer looks like after the water has gone bad
and the flares stop burning,” said Moriah Stephenson. “At every stage of
the fracking process, there’s contamination. 93% of the chemicals used
in hydraulic fracturing processes have been proven to damage health, and
with the scale of fracking close to Oklahoma communities I’m worried for
the health of folks who live nearby.”

[See also:
http://www.catskillmountainkeeper.org/our-programs/fracking/whats-wrong-with-fracking-2/health-impacts/
]

Stefan Warner's statement can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/1er7TE0

Moriah Stephenson's statement can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/1ghJrX5

Both Moriah and Stefan are available for comment and are willing to go
on camera. Email gptsrmedia@gmail.com for photo requests. ###

--
Bob Waldrop, Oklahoma City
http://www.ipermie.net  Permaculture your urban lifestyle & protect yourself 
from the four horsemen of the modern apocalypse: peak oil, climate instability, 
economic irrationality, and political criminality