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Hi John,
There is no Climate Justice without Racial Justice!
The massive, nationwide uprising for Black Lives is still happening. History shows that one of the only ways to bring about deep, systemic change is through sustained, disruptive protest, and we at 350 Eastside stand in solidarity in the fight against anti-black racism and the police state, following the lead of black organizers. Here are some important protest guides and safety info: The Seattle-King County Black Lives Matter Protest Guide Guide put together by some local Seattle street medics, with graphics
350 Seattle has an upcoming Racial Justice Learning Series. Join in conversation about the deep connections between racial justice and climate justice. 350 Seattle teams will discuss how their campaigns support the BLM resistance and other movements for justice. Sign up here! We'll follow up soon with unique registration links to each webinar in the series! Have questions? Please contact Shemona. |
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TRANS MOUNTAINThe Trans Mountain Expansion project in Canada would bring 7 times more oil tankers into the Salish Sea. The existing pipeline has already ruptured multiple times, most recently just last month resulting in a 50,000 gallon spill on Indigenous land. The oil would be brought from the Alberta Tar Sands, the same region that supplies the Keystone pipeline and has been called the most destructive industrial project in human history. The original project owner was Houston-based Kinder Morgan, but after a massive protest against them in 2018 they threatened to cancel the project, so the Canadian government stepped in and bought it to make sure that wouldn't happen. A few months later a Canadian Federal Court of Appeals ruled that the company had failed to adequately consult the Indigenous nations that would be affected by construction of the pipeline. The following year, the Canadian government ignored this decision and approved the project anyway. A coalition of Indigenous groups, including the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Coldwater First Nations filed a lawsuit appealing the approval on the grounds that there had still been no meaningful engagement with them, but unfortunately last Thursday the Canadian Supreme Court dismissed this appeal, meaning that the strongest legal challenge to the project is now over. This is a major blow, but we'll never stop fighting this project or standing up for the communities that it puts in harm's way. Ordinarily we'd be joining Canadians taking to the streets again, but this is problematic during a pandemic, as was cynically pointed out by Alberta's energy minister. There are still other avenues available, and we invite you to hear about potential next steps by attending the... Folk That Pipeline Festival Thursday, July 16, 5:00pm Online webinar, register here. One promising strategy, already mentioned in Stop The Money Pipeline above, is to pressure insurance companies to fully account for all of the risks involved. This strategy has already seen major banks start to take steps away from funding some of the worst forms of fossil fuel extraction. The Trans Mountain Pipeline’s largest insurer is Liberty Mutual, which also provides consumer insurance policies and will be more sensitive to their reputation. If we can stop the flow of insurance money, we can stop the flow of oil. Here's another message to send to put them on notice! |
PSE - WASHING CHILD BRAINSGas companies like Puget Sound Energy (PSE) are working hard (and spending a ton of money) to convince us that fracked gas is a safe, “natural” green energy solution. The most recent example is aimed at our children, in the form of coloring book pages titled “Natural Gas Town” and “Don Fuego” a smiling gas flame mascot, a song teaching kids to be a hero and call 911 if they smell gas, and an online game called Gas Dash. Check out the disturbing details: Puget Sound Energy Wants Your Kids to Love Natural Gas. Social Media Storm Help us push back against PSE’s brainwashing and create a social media storm today. Our friends at 350 Tacoma made some awesome coloring pages for kids with more realistic info about fracked gas. Can you color 1 or more of these pages and post them online, tagging PSE?
Actual Dangers! Downtown Puyallup was evacuated, and nearby roads closed, due to a major Puget Sound Energy gas leak last week. The Greenwood neighborhood in Seattle lost several buildings to a PSE gas explosion in 2016 after the company failed to properly shut off the gas to pipes no longer in use. With LNG-by-rail recently legalized, communities far from the 8-million-gallon tank in Tacoma could be finding themselves “in the blast zone” next year if the legal appeals scheduled for this October do not overturn the highly controversial, final project permit. Systemic environmental racism Safety and climate impacts of the Tacoma LNG project that affect our communities are vital for us to outline, but in the tradition of recognizing the history of our home, we must remind ourselves of the environmental racism and Treaty rights violations involved in the placement of this facility, and the use of law enforcement to quash dissent. Last month, 350 Seattle helped host a screening of Ancestral Waters, a documentary by Native Daily Network, chronicling the Puyallup Tribe and Puyallup Water Warriors in the fight to protect their Treaty, their water, and their way of life from Puget Sound Energy's massive fracked gas refinery and storage facility currently being built on Medicine Creek Treaty Territory. After the film, a panel discussion dug into the similarities between police violence, environmental racism, and unequal legal protections that we see play out in the film, and the systemic issues at the heart of the current movement for Black lives. Check out the full panel discussion here.
Tacoma LNG Resistance WorkshopCome to this workshop to learn about Puget Sound Energy's Tacoma LNG project, the history of resistance to it, the Puyallup tribe's opposition to the project, and the overall status of the project at this crucial time. Date: Thursday, July 16th Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm (Online) You'll learn how to plug into the campaign and all the ideas we have to raise awareness about the project. Leave with opportunities to make a difference. Invite your friends! Register HERE |
NO FREE LUNCH FOR FOSSIL FUEL FIENDSWhile the Covid crisis has brought illness, job loss, and other hardship to millions across the country, the fossil fuel industry has profited.The first stimulus package (aka the CARES Act), offered many individuals a $1200 check, but it also granted massive tax breaks to the fossil fuel industry — an industry that had been struggling long before Covid 19 arrived. Fossil fuel executives obtained these breaks through access to the $4.5 trillion Federal Reserve fund set up under CARES to support the US economy. $3 billion in tax refunds have already been handed out to the oil industry, and Friends of the Earth expects the industry to claim much more. Because unemployment benefits run out at the end of July, there will be pressure on House Democrats to give more goodies to corporate America — and that includes fossil fuel companies — to extend unemployment benefits. It's our job to tell the Democrats to say NO to such a deal. Please call today to say that further corporate giveaways are unacceptable, and ask them to co-sponsor the ReWIND Act, which would prevent the Trump Administration from bailing out the fossil fuel industry. Here is a suggested call script (find your representative here): "Hello. I am a constituent of Representative _______, and am asking the Representative to oppose any further federal funds being given to the fossil fuel industry. This industry was struggling long before the Covid crisis. Federal funds should be used to help struggling individuals, not corporations. I am also asking the Representative to co-sponsor the ReWIND Act, which would prevent the Administration for bailing out the fossil fuel industry." Note that Representative Jayapal is already a co-sponsor — but call her anyway to thank her and ask her to do what she can to stop any further benefits from going to Big Oil.) |
EASTSIDE FOR ALL"Investing in Racial Equity on the Eastside" is an online fundraiser in support of Eastside FOR ALL's work to build the equity infrastructure the Eastside so desperately needs. The event is hosted by Indivisible Kirkland, a community group whose mission is to advance justice, equity & inclusion through civic engagement. When: This Saturday, July 18th, 4-5pm Where: via Zoom Learn more about the organization, its partnerships, and invest in the expansion of the following efforts:
Indivisible Kirkland's event will feature the work of Black & Brown activists, artists, businesses and leaders on the Eastside. Auction items & door prizes will support the work of BIPOC artists and businesses, and provide anti-racist education resources for adults & youth across a spectrum of age groups. |
STRIKE FOR BLACK LIVES
This Monday, July 20 will be the Strike for Black Lives National Day of Action.
Workers across the country are preparing for strikes, walkouts, and other worker actions to demand racial and economic justice, including in the workplace. Following springtime actions to demand PPE in the midst of a global pandemic, and unprecedented uprisings and protests to defend Black Lives at the start of the summer, tens of thousands of workers will take action one month ahead of the Democratic National Convention to declare that Black Lives Matter and to illustrate all the ways our fights for racial, economic, healthcare, immigration, climate and other justice fights are connected.
Planning is in motion for a massive, national day of action, spanning at least 20 cities. Check out this one pager for the details and to get involved.
You can find a role and level of participation that works best for you based on the red/yellow/green tiers of action, your local political and progressive organization relationships, and your core issues. |
COVID - NEIGHBORHOOD PODSAs COVID-19 rates climb higher again due to reopenings state- and nationwide, we ask you to consider helping those in your local community more heavily impacted by the virus. We now have 40 neighborhood pods and growing in a city-wide network of Mutual Aid to cultivate community resilience. We invite you to take leadership to help grow community within your own neighborhood so that people can help each other where there is need. We’re connected with COVID-19 Mutual Aid, so our pods respond to the needs requested through that site. We’ve shared requests for mask-making, supplies for striking farmworkers fighting for social distancing conditions, and other opportunities to address the huge impacts the pandemic is having on the most vulnerable communities. If this resonates with you, contact Lin Hagedorn ([email protected]) or Neal Anderson ([email protected]). You can Join a neighborhood pod here, or better yet, sign up to be a pod captain and lead your neighborhood organizing efforts! We are in plenty of need for more community captains on the Eastside. |
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JULY MEETING RESOURCES
Last night we started discussing the state of policing, the Movement for Black Lives, and the Defund the Police movement, but the conversation is nowhere near finished. Here are some of the resources we used, as well as some additional ones:
The Breathe Act: https://breatheact.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-BREATHE-Act-PDF_FINAL3-1.pdf
Video:
350.org video - in its entirety: https://350.org/in-defense-of-black-lives/
The Root: How American Slavery Helped Create Modern Day Policing | Unpack That: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qtz5WPd86o&feature=youtu.be
Kamau Walton, “What’s Wrong with Community Control of Police?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qYuBy4OoVM&t=4s
Green New Deal/Sunrise Movement-Movement for Black Lives: https://medium.com/sunrisemvmt/if-you-care-about-the-green-new-deal-we-need-you-to-join-the-movement-for-black-lives-7d4395918408
Decriminalize Seattle:
King County Equity Now demands: |
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************ In solidarity, Emily, Lin, Sara, Phil, Lynn, and Marilyn 350 Eastside Steering
P.S. - For white and non-Black POC: learn more at defendingblacklives.org about what you can do in the days ahead, wherever you are.
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