Seattle Residents Occupy BNSF Offices to
Protest Oil Trains As Paris Climate Talks Continue,
Activists Call for Concrete Action on Climate Change
Contact:
Afrin Sopariwala, Rising Tide Seattle,
(408) 598-7656,
sheildmaiden@gmail.com
Today 43 residents of Seattle occupied the BNSF office in SoDo
Seattle to speak out against the company's continued involvement in fossil fuel
extraction and transport. Activists brought a letter with three demands and
asked to speak with the CEO, Carl Ice. Activists were immediately asked to
leave and the police were called. A BNSF spokesperson said they could put
the activists on the phone with Vice President Mr Anderson, claiming that
they had no access to the CEO.
Raging Granny Cynthia Linet read the letter out loud over speaker phone and
Mr Anderson was not able to confirm that these demands could be upheld.
Activists continued to stay and occupy the space, singing and chanting. The
police arrived, and once they had their chain of command in place, they
said they would arrest those who remained. About 30 activists then exited
the building and 13 remained to get arrested. They were released after
being cited for criminal trespass.
“Communities of color here and worldwide are experiencing unprecedented
numbers of extreme fires, floods, hurricanes, and droughts and it’s only
getting worse,” said Jill Mangaliman, executive director of Got Green?. “We
cannot rely on fossil fuel companies and carbon markets to fix this - they
have caused this climate chaos. Instead, we must look to indigenous, black
and brown frontline communities for leadership and solutions.”
“We need to transition away from fossil fuels now, and BNSF could be at the
forefront of that transition by moving goods and people by rail,” said
Valerie Costa, a local small business owner, and one of those cited by the
police. “Instead, they're contributing to catastrophic climate change by
moving dangerous oil trains through our neighborhoods.”
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/shellnoactioncouncil/videos/vb.1625994030965721/1709558165942640/?type=2&theater
