Today, over 100 people joined members of the Earth Quaker Action Team for a “die in” on the streets of Philadelphia, to demonstrate the consequences of PNC’s investments in mountaintop removal coal mining.
Holding dozens of ‘Poison’ signs representing different parts of our community affected by mountaintop removal, the Mountains, Water, Democracy and Economy contingents of our march collapsed, on after another, in front of PNC branches on Walnut and Market streets as we spoke out about the consequences of these extraction practices. Our street theater stretched from sidewalk to sidewalk, dramatizing the cost of PNC’s policies as bank employees streamed outside to listen and take videos on their cellphones.
It was a powerful moment and a powerful symbol of what we are fighting for. It meant a lot to me that we were able to bring together mountaintop removal, fracking, and financial bailout opponents together for this event, and to identify PNC as a culprit in all three issues. It is becoming clear to people that PNC is our local connection to the financial and climate crisis, and it was inspiring to see such a passionate, multigenerational crowd taking part in nonviolent action together. Together we sang:
“From Appalachia to Pennsylvania, We Share the Same Fight
We Both Know that Water is a Human Right!”
Click here to see the article about us in today’s Metro.
Our coverage in the Metro today took some of the bolder quotes out of the facts and statistics we shared, but we were serious today about what was at stake, and we were able to speak powerfully to the fact that peoples’ health is already being affected.
Mountain Top Removal is so Wrong!!!! Check out Google Earth and type in Big Branch Mine. The whole area has been raped. “From West Virginia to Pennsylvania, We Share the Same Fight.
http://vimeo.com/34410851
This is a video about the die-in, by Dog, Pig, and Wise Horse Productions. It was originally intended for a longer film, but we decided to release it as a series of shorts about religious activism at Occupy Philadelphia. You can visit our facebook page or our vimeo page to follow more of our documentary coverage of local activism.