Chevron Protest: Mobilization for Climate Justice (Live Updates)

Updated 6:00 pm PST: New video

Check out some early video footage from the mobilization:

Updated: 5:00 pm PST

What do you do when a multi-billion dollar company dumps 100,000 pounds in your community? Fight back. Today, hundreds of Richmond residents and supporters from across the Bay Area, around the country, and around the world, joined together to protest Chevron’s gross human rights and environmental justice violations.

The day started with a rally in downtown Richmond, with speakers from groups like the West County Toxics Coalition, Communities for a Better Environment, and the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, and performers and music. Hundreds of people then marched to the Chevron refinery in Richmond, the largest industrial polluter in the Bay Area.

At the refinery, over 500 people peacefully protested outside the Chevron gates, which were guarded by over 100 police in full riot gear. 13 people were arrested in an act of non-violent civil disobedience (more updates on the arrest to come) to show the community’s commitment to ending environmental justice and fighting for good, clean jobs in Richmond and around the world.

Stay tuned . . .

Updated, 2:00 pm PST

Mobilization Youth

Hundreds of students, families, workers, and citizens gathered in Richmond,

California this morning to take part in the Mobilization for Climate Justice West, a mass mobilization against Chevron’s Richmond oil refinery to protest Chevron’s continued attempts to expand crude oil production and interfere with climate solutions.

The mobilization was not only a protest, but a celebration. Hip-hop artists fired up the crowd, local bands got people’s feet moving, and puppets and performers wove together issues of justice, environment, public health, and solidarity.

Stay tuned to IGHIH for more live updates and photos from the march, which just got underway and is headed towards the Richmond refinery as a speak. You can also follow the Mobilization on Twitter @protestchevron (or search #chevron #richmond or #protestchevron), Flickr, and find us on YouTube here.

Firing it up at MCJ Rally!

About Jamie

Jamie is the co-coordinator of 350.org, an international global warming campaign. A recent college graduate, he lives in San Francisco, CA. In 2007, he co-organized Step It Up, a campaign that pulled together over 2,000 climate rallies across the United States to push for strong climate action at the federal level. He's also an early member of the youth climate movement, leading one of Energy Action's first campaigns in 2005: Road to Detroit, a nationwide veggie-oil bus tour to promote sustainable transportation. He's traveled to Montreal and Bali to lobby the UN with youth, but he's a strong believer that change happens in the streets not in meetings. Jamie received the Morris K. Udall award in 2007 and has been recognized by the mighty state of Vermont for his work on climate change. You can also find him blogging at Campus Progress' "Pushback," Changents.com, and 350.org.

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