August 20th – September 3rd

Washington, DC

Sit-in to Stop the Pipeline

The Keystone XL Pipeline

The Alberta Tar Sands

The SolutionBuilding Keystone XL requires a Presidential permit that certifies whether it is in the ‘National Interest,’ which means Pres. Obama alone decides whether the project gets built.

The Tar Sands Action is a campaign to encourage the President to do the right thing and reject the pipeline.

Invitation to Tar Sands Action

• Bill McKibben, Tom Goldtooth, Naomi Klein, David Suzuki, James Hansen, Wendell Berry, Gus Speth, Danny Glover and many others issue an invitation to action in June.

• Called for two weeks of sustained civil disobedience at the White House from August 20th to September 3rd.

• Supported by 19 Climate Scientists and the directors of 28 environmental and allied organizations

Day 1: 65 Arrests

Arrestees include: Bill McKibben, Gus Speth, and Dan Choi

Day 2: 45 Arrests

Day 3: 52 Arrests

Arrestees include representatives from Chesapeake Climate Action Network and Bold Nebraska

Day 4: 60 Arrests

Arrestees include Margot Kidder and Tantoo Cardinal

Day 5: 56 Arrests

Day 6: 47 Arrests

Day 7: 54 Arrests

Day 8: No Arrests

As Hurricane Irene bore down on the east coast, the Tar Sands Action met for a rally in the rain to show our resolve, but didn’t risk arrest in respect for the state of emergency called for in Washington DC.

Day 9: No Arrests

Tar Sands Action took the day off to allow for cleanup, and out of respect for folks facing the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irene up and down the East Coast.

Day 10: 143 Arrests

Arrestees incl. NASA’s James Hansen, religious leaders of dozens of denominations, a former Obama speechwriter, &the Director of CREDO Action

Day 11: 73 Arrests

Arrestees include actress Dayrl Hannah, and dozens of folks from Hurricane Irene ravaged Vermont.

Day 12: 111 Arrests

Arrestees include landowners from along the pipeline route, and a large delegation from the coalfields of Appalachia

Day 13: 137 Arrests

Arrestees include youth organizers for the 2008 Obama campaign

Day 14: 166 Arrests

Action is led by the Indigenous Environmental Network. Naomi Klein and other Canadians take a risk by participating in the sit-in and are arrested

Day 15: 243 Arrests

Results:

• 1,252 arrests at the sit-in, with hundreds more out in support

• 3,500+ mentions in the press, including front page of the NY Times, as well as the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, NPR’s All Things Considered and USA Today.

• International solidarity actions from Canada to Egypt to New Zealand

Trainings

One of the goals of the action was to deepen our commitment to action and get comfortable with civil disobedience. Every participant took part in a nightly training that included roleplaying, legal briefing, and a community dinner.

Arrests

What’s Next Nationally

• Continue to pressure President Obama to be the climate leader we elected in 2008.

• Build a network of activists committed to using peaceful civil disobedience to stop the tar sands and climate change.

• Local actions at Organizing for America and Obama 2012 offices to encourage the President to stand strong

What can we do now to support?