Break Free From Fossil Fuels Pacific Northwest Anacortes

 

 

The amazing weekend of protests in Anacortes featured many different actions, trainings, planning, spreadsheets, signs, artists, legal advisors, health professionals, food experts, miracles.

 

Only a few weeks of preparation produced incredible results. I want to salute everyone who took part in whatever aspect, all of us had a part to play large and small, active and supportive. It was a thrilling adventure and I am fully motivated to support the way forward in every aspect of my life.

 

At Deception Pass State Park, the center of planning and information, where I spent a lot of time, we had the beauty of the park to inspire us to make sure it has a future. I kept thinking about our ongoing drought and overheated planet, and wondering if the green Northwest can have a future.

In the kitchen there was breakfast for the many many campers, a massive vat of oatmeal, my very own homemade yogurt , tea, coffee

we made our lunches and were given dinners, a monumental planning job before hand. Hats off to all those who pulled it off!!

 

There was legal training for those who wanted to participate in civil disobedience. It was so helpful, what to say, how to act, we even role played, that I was tempted to think about it for the future, although going to jail is not my temperament. All was carefully planned and coordinated. I spent time helping with the info both that you see above.

Some people biked all the way from Seattle!

 

 

 

A lot of people were making art there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The absolute highlight for me was the Saturday Indigenous Day of Action,

“Its in Our Hands” was the theme.

 

We marched on the road next to the dreadful refineries, we chanted, sang, danced, with the indigenous peoples from many tribes.I put a movie on my facebook, I am not sure how to add it here.

 

The rally after the march honored many people, but above all Mother Earth. I found it incredibly moving to hear elder Diane Vendiola of the Swinomish speak of growing up on the polluted point where we stood, eating fish and clams now no longer available, in water that is completely toxic.

 

The plants were built on unceded land taken away from the Swinomish by Ulysses Grant after the Civil War.

 

We had to breath the fumes from the Tesoro emissions, as we listened. We had to smell their acrid smell, it made the ceremonies all the more urgent and beautiful.

 

 

At 2 PM we had a water blessing ceremony led by Inez Bell of the Tulalip, in conjunction with ceremonies around the world. In addition to ceremonies, there were of course global Break Free actions to protest fuel plants and other massive sources of pollution, coordinated by 350.org and inspired by Bill McKibben.

 

Not long after we blessed the water, a canoe of Lummi youth arrived and the canoe came right into the center of our events, as a symbol of working together as a community. The Lummi sang an eagle song, and two young men danced an eagle dance as eagles circled overhead. I was too mesmerized to take a picture of the eagle dance.

 

Members of the Swinomish, our hosts, as well as Chief Ruben George, a leader from First People of Canada, youth and their leader Patsy Bane from the Makah, Tyson Johnson leader of the Quinault, and leader Jules James Lummi spoke of saving the earth, of honoring our ancestors, of the war we are fighting to survive, of the importance of giving up oil, fossil fuels entirely. James spoke of the horrendous fire in the Boreal Forest in the Alberta tar sands.

 

The Lummi were honored with a paddle by the Swinomish because they have just defeated a coal terminal. Jules James eloquently spoke of coalition building, working together. He has traveled to other tribes the Sioux, the Northern Cheyenne, for example, who are also saying no to toxic polluters.

 

Paul Che Oke’ Ten Wagner, the brilliant musician, spoke and posted his remarks on facebook. His shirt asks us to honor the Duwamish.

“It was an honor to speak at In Our Hands rally to help end the era of fossil fuel catastrophe, my point was that we must step back into the circle of life and learn to honor the gifts our Mother Earth has to offer us, the linear action of the colonial world has a finite end and if our Mother Earth reaches the tipping point, the point of no return for stable climate the human race will reach that end and there will be a great reciprocity or giving back to our Mother Earth but not of our liking…. It will be the bones of our grandchildren and their children being given back to our Mother Earth due to our lack of respect for the gifts our Mother” Paul Che Oke’ Ten Wagner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because of the shifts I signed up for, I missed all the luminary events on water and on land. I have a few images from the water, and I am hoping the salmon march will post some photographs.

All of the news coverage addressed the arrests from the railroad sit in that blocked trains for three days. Probably because they were so well trained in civil disobedience, the people arrested were actually let go almost immediately.

 

Interesting that the arrests are given so much more space than the peaceful coming together and commitment of more than a thousand people.

 

I love this earth, I want it to survive for my grandchildren. Thank you Kayactivists, Indigenous, climate activists, so many people of all ages and stages of life who came together last weekend!

 

The youth of Plant for the Planet are my grand finale.