So. WEEK 3!! I must say- loves the Greenpeace. The staffers are really nice and so are the other students in my program. These past 3 weeks we have focused on our leadership tendencies, how to relate with others on your team, what makes a team strong and efficient, as well as petitioning, campaign planning, phone banking, etc. All very useful and don't worry, i'm taking notes! : )
I think what i'm going to start doing is a feature for every GOT related post. so for this update, i'm going to feature the Oil hearing that happened this past Tuesday. That day we joined forces with the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and went to the house building (i don't know the technical term) for the hearing. It was so intense and we ran into a lot of red tape- it's amazing how much injustice happens in our capital. I once blogged about the fact that sometimes i get so frustrated with our government that i just want to scream. I started considering the idea of bringing up my signs from home and screaming here but i'm pretty sure they'd tell me i'm not allowed to protest in front of the capitol- it's really sad that I can safely make that assumption.
i woke up at 3am that morning to wait in line at 5am. we were seemingly the first ppl there. then we got into the building at 7:30 and were the first ppl in line by 9:30. It was a public hearing with 50 seats. When we get inside, we find around 6 people already in line before us (they must had slipped in earlier on). As we are waiting in line the security guard tells us that there are actually only 15 open seats for the public...at a public hearing.
ok. bummer.
but we still have hope- we figure we can squeeze the rest in later. a few minutes before the doors open, 4 business men with expensive suits and greased back hair replace 3 of the the 6 people who slipped in before the doors opened. They apparently paid them off to stand there for them.
ridiculous.
at 9:30, we find out that there were only around 5 open spots when only 5 people were allowed into the hearing. unfortunate for our 4 businessmen, two of them were not part of that 5. Now apparently there is an agreement where when someone leaves the hearing their seat is up for grabs. however- that's not exactly the case like the 'reserved' seats were for the press and whoever the big oil companies had come with them (i.e. lawyers). So even though we were told that it might be impossible to get in like all the seats are reserved and there are only 5 open seats for the public, these two businessmen were able to work something out with the girl managing the line.
not ok.
I personally had to wait 3.5hrs more in an ever dwindling line of folks who lost hope in their chances of getting in WHILE standing, before i could get in. And i was close to the front of the line!!! (as in definitely in the top 15 ppl)
unacceptable.
I am a voter. I am a citizen.
It shouldn't be that hard for me to personally sit in a public hearing.
what really gets me is the idea that you can reserve public hearing seats. What's even worse was that the majority of the people who filled those reserved seats did not have to wait in my line or get up at 3am or stay standing for hours. they just walked on in. I was up from 3am that morning and stayed in that building until 2 all for a seat.
That's not right. and it makes me so MAD.
But It's that frustration that leads us to action. It is that and my faith that drives me to fight every day. It's also what leads ppl to do this:
the RAN kids attempted to give the CEO of Chevron a bottle of oil from Ecuador. She was arrested- as well as the girl with the sign behind her. just for standing up to injustice.
More on what Chevron is doing and how to take action Here.
That's all from me. Time for Church
Tabby <3
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