Category: Announcements

cross-posted from Appalachians Against Pipelines

Early on September 16th, Bramble locked herself to a sleeping dragon buried on so-called Poor Mountain to block construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

The next day, she had this to say:

“It’s day 2 of the Sleeping Dragon action on Poor Mountain!! I woke up to a beautiful sunrise and blankets of clouds in the valley. I got to see birds soaring at eye level and feel the moisture in the air that makes Appalachia so vibrant. Workers came by my spot today and took away my supplies, hoping that I would leave. In the end though, they can’t take away the view I have from up here. I can see so much of what we are up against. I can see the pipeline easement for miles, their machines that destroy the forest, and Western Virginia Regional jail where Wren and Acre were held for months after they were extracted from the Yellow Finch treesits, along with so many others who are unjustly incarcerated. The mountains and wild forest surrounding all that evil is so much bigger, and it’s untamed. Yesterday, a security guard accused me of choosing the most treacherous part of the pipeline route to block. He’s right, it is steep up here. The mountains themselves have been a crucial part of the resistance to the MVP. Construction struggles with the steep slopes and waterways. MVP left the most difficult spots along the route for last, and that is a mistake that is going to cost them as the resistance continues into the fall.”

The three day blockade was located in Roanoke County on Yesan land. Poor Mountain is one of the steepest stretches of the MVP easement, and one of the last remaining areas of the pipeline’s path where downed trees have not been cleared.

After preventing Mountain Valley Pipeline work on a section of Poor Mountain for THREE DAYS (incredible!!!!!!!!), Bramble was extracted from her blockade and arrested. She was charged with 4 misdemeanors and was being held at the Roanoke County jail without bail.

Bramble is STILL being held in jail without bail! Last weekend, she blocked Mountain Valley Pipeline construction (clearing downed trees) on Poor Mountain for THREE DAYS!! Be like Bramble. #NoMVP #NoPipelines #NoPrisonsNoPipelines pic.twitter.com/WZ8zU1Ahdd

— Appalachians Against Pipelines (@stopthemvp) September 20, 2023

cross-posted from the Green and Red Podcast

The Sierra Club is one of the oldest and largest environmental groups in the U.S.. It also has a problematic history, from being founded by racist John Muir to members penning the racist “Population Bomb,” advocating for population control, to former director Carl Pope promoting corporate greenwashing. Earlier this year, politician Ben Jealous became the organization’s new executive director and began a process of “restructuring” due to budget deficits. The restructuring led to layoffs that included the equity and environmental justice teams.

We talk with Hop Hopkins and Michelle Mascarenhas (@MG_MMS), two of the top directors, laid off in the Sierra Club’s restructuring about what happened, the impacts on environmental organizing and equity within the non-profit industrial complex.

Bios//

Hop Hopkins is the former Director of Organizational Transformation at the Sierra Club, where he helped the organization evolve its commitment to anti-racism. Hop is a longtime social movement strategist and scholar, and has been a leader in movements from HIV/AIDS to anti-globalization, food sovereignty, anti-displacement and clean energy transition, after beginning his career as a grassroots environmental justice community organizer. Most recently he was a Climate Justice Fellow and adjunct professor at Antioch University. He is based on Tongva land in Los Angeles, CA.

Michelle Mascaranehas is the former National Director of Campaigns at the Sierra Club. Before coming to the Sierra Club, Michelle was a co-director of Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project where she supported the formation of the Climate Justice Alliance, the Reclaim Our Power Utility Justice Project, and projects at the intersection of land, Indigenous sovereignty, reparations and Black liberation. Prior to her time at MG, Michelle worked as a union organizer and organized farm-to-school projects. Michelle is based on Chochenyo Ohlone land in Berkeley, CA.