Each of member of the Climate Disobedience Center Team has supported and participated in many actions. While a number of those actions predate the creation of the Center, they form a foundation for our approach to this work. We’d like to share two of those actions and the legal cases they launched with you here: Tim DeChristopher’s “Bidder 70” action and the Lobster Boat Blockade action, taken by Jay O’Hara and Ken Ward, with support from Marla Marcum. Below are media highlights from these cases.
Tim DeChristopher / Bidder 70
Alternet – Neoliberal Environmentalism’s Dangerous Paradox: Why the Free Market Won’t Solve Global Warming
By Paul Rosenberg | Aug. 29, 2015
High Country News – The unusual occupation at Utah’s Book Cliffs
Essay by Cally Carswell | Jan. 19, 2015
Truth Out – Civil Disobedience Is an Act of Love
Interview by Leslee Goodman | December 8, 2014
Yes! Magazine – The Boomers “Failed” Us: Climate Activist Tim DeChristopher on Anger, Love, and Sacrifice
First the anger, then the love—overcoming generational anger to find the courage required for the difficult work ahead.
By Sarah van Gelder | May 30, 2014
Acronym TV – Climate Change is The Context of Our Times
Interview with Dennis Trainor, Jr. | Feb 18, 2014
Rolling Stone – Tim DeChristopher Is a Free Man: ‘We Need a Movement That Gets a Little Bit Out of Control’
The climate activist on his prison stay and the future of the fight
Interview by Alexander Zaitchik | April 22, 2013
MSNBC All In with Chris Hayes – Climate activist served two years in federal prison for civil disobedience
Interview by Chris Hayes | May 15, 2013
Yes! Magazine – Newly Released Tim DeChristopher Finds a Movement Transformed by His Courage
By Melanie Jae Martin | April 22, 2013
Rolling Stone – Jailed Climate Hero Tim DeChristopher Thrown In the Hole
By Jeff Goodell | March 28, 2012
Orion Magazine – What Love Looks Like
Interview by Terry Tempest Williams | May 28, 2011
Lobster Boat Blockade and #ClimateTrial
Press about the Trial
New York Times, “Charges Dropped Against Climate Activists”
Wall Street Journal Blog, “DA Drops Criminal Charges Against Climate Change Protesters for Sake of Planet”
NPR’s Here & Now, “DA Drops Criminal Charges Against Environmental Activists”
Democracy Now, “The Climate Change Defense? Citing Global Warming, DA Drops Charges Against Anti-Coal Activists”
National Journal, “Verdict: Charges Dropped on Account of Climate Change”
Huffington Post, “Lobster Boat Blockade of Coal Plant Leads District Attorney to Climate Leadership”
Salon, “DA drops charges against anti-coal activists, says he’ll see them at the Climate March”
Associated Press, “Criminal charges dropped in lobster boat blockade”
Grist, “Is necessity the mother of climate protest?”
The Nation, “Charges Were Just Dropped Against These Climate Activists in the Most Stunning Way”
Climate Central, “Prosecutors Side with Coal Blockaders, Drop Charges”
Boston Globe, “Bristol DA Drops Charges, Says Protesters Were Right”
Boston Magazine, “District Attorney Lessens Charges in ‘Lobster Boat Blockade’ Case”
Bloomberg Businessweek, “Activists Mount ‘Necessity’ Defense for Anti-Coal Action”
Boston Herald, “Global warming defense lets two protesters walk”
Providence Journal, “Plea deal reached for protesters who blocked coal shipment to Brayton Point Power Station”
Fall River Herald News, “Charges dropped against activists who used boat to block coal shipment”
Worcester Telegram, “Criminal charges dropped in Mass. lobster boat blockade”
WCAI Cape and Islands, “Bristol County DA Calls Off Climate Change Show Trial”
WCAI Cape and Islands, “Fifteen Minutes with the Lobster Boat Blockaders”
WBUR, “Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Activists Who Blocked A Coal Freighter”
WCVB, “Trial set for activists who blocked coal with lobster boat”
Inside Climate News, “DA in Mass. Drops Charges, Says Activists Were Right About Climate Crisis”
South Coast Today, “Sutter agrees to plea deal in Brayton Point coal blockade”
ABC 6 Providence, “Criminal charges dropped against climate activists”
PRESS FROM THE LEAD-UP TO THE TRIAL
Boston Globe “The Climate Made Me Do It”
Associated Press “Activists Say Massachusetts coal blockade was justified” (reprinted by San Francisco Chronicle, WLNE-Providence, Portland Press-Herald, Boston Herald, USA Today, Boston Globe, Berkshire Eagle, Washington Times, Cape Cod Times, The Columbian, Eugene Register-Guard, WCVB Boston, and more)
State House News, “Lobster Boat Trial”
Climate Central, “Urgency of Climate Change to Debut as Legal Defense”
South Coast Today, “Activists: Climate change justified Brayton Point blockade”
Providence Journal, “Activists who blocked Brayton Point coal barge to use “necessity defense” at trial”
Lansing News, “The Climate Made Them Do It”
PRESS ABOUT THE LOBSTER BOAT ACTION
The Nation “The New Climate Radicals”
The Boston Globe “Anticoal activists block path of freighter”
Fall River Herald News “Activists declaring ‘Coal Is Stupid’ attempt blockade of coal delivery at Somerset’s Brayton Point”
CommonDreams “The Lobster Boat vs. The Coal Freighter”
Power Engineering “Lobster boat blocks coal shipment to Brayton Point coal-fired plant”
TreeHugger.com “Lobster Boat Successfully Blockades 40,000 Ton Coal Shipment”
EastBayRI.com “Protesters’ lobster boat stops Brayton Point coal shipment”
Commonwealth Magazine “The Zombie Coal Plant”