Climate activists celebrate the end of the indictment in the middle of the hottest summer on record

Vancouver, Washington

As the Pacific Northwest rattles record-breaking heat and prepares for yet another fire season, four cases by climate activists were dismissed in the Clark County Circuit Court in Vancouver, Washington, on Wednesday. Defendants Kelsey Baker, Mike Hastie, Samantha Krop and Bruce Watt were charged with criminal charges after participating in an operation aimed at halting the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) project, one of the worst climate-damaging pipeline projects in the World . The activists’ cases, like those of many other defendants in the United States, have been significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The release came less than two weeks before her trial, but shortly after CLDC attorneys filed petitions to challenge the constitutionality of the charges.

“The solidarity and commitment shown by these defendants during this trial reflects the strength of the climate movement as a whole,” said Sarah Alvarez, CLDC personnel attorney. “They know they are on the right side of history. When the City of Vancouver agreed to drop our clients’ proceedings, it finally realized that it never had a real chance of convicting our clients on trumped-up charges. And while it’s a shame it took the city nearly two years of wasted resources and time to realize this, it’s still a great day for our customers and the movement to end the extractive industries that are hastening the doom of the planet. “

There is significant public opposition to the TMX project – so much so that more than 10 companies have pulled out of funding or insurance for the project. Indigenous youth in Vancouver, BC, worked with the Braided Warriors group to demonstrate the effectiveness of direct action by blocking access from insurance companies asking them to stop insuring the pipeline. The dwindling pool of insurers has put pressure on the Canadian government, suggesting mounting evidence that building new fossil fuel infrastructures in the age of climate change is clearly not in the public interest.

“It’s clear that policymakers are not acting fast enough to stop new fossil fuel projects – it’s up to us,” said Baker, one of the activists whose charges have been dismissed. “The recent fires and unprecedented heat events that have combed communities across the Pacific Northwest are harbingers of what will come if we fail to take material action to halt the climate crisis.”

The firing also comes amid increasing government repression and collusion between fossil fuel corporations and the police – where companies are paying the police millions of dollars in bonus money to do their dirty work. Over 700 people face criminal charges in the Indigenous-led fight against the Line 3 Pipeline in northern Minnesota, some of whom are charged with non-violent civil disobedience and trumped-up theft. In Iowa, climate activist Jessica Reznicek was recently sentenced to eight years in prison for her involvement in trying to stop the toxic Dakota Access Pipeline. Even so, activists across the country are calling for more action to stop the urgent climate crisis.

“We are in solidarity with all frontline activists who are putting their freedom at risk for the good of the planet,” said Krop. We are not afraid of government repression and violence in response to our work. Further measures such as the blockade in November 2019 are necessary to prevent the worst effects of climate change. “

Contacts:

Center for the Defense of Civil Liberties
Sarah Alvarez, personnel attorney
(541) 687-9180 or [email protected]

Portland Rising Tide
[email protected]