Tag Archives: protest

Support Utah Land Defenders!

Posted on by
7

Utah Tar Sands

UPDATE: ALL 21 LAND DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN RELEASED.

After a massive direct action protest today at the site of U.S. Oil Sands’ tar sands strip-mining site, a total of 21 were arrested and are currently awaiting charges at Uintah County Jail in Vernal, Utah. In addition to protestors, those acting as legal observers, independent media, and jail support were arrested, as well as several indigenous and trans individuals whose safety we are deeply concerned about.

Early this morning land defenders locked themselves to equipment being used to clear-cut and grade an area designated for the tar sands’ companies processing plant, as well as a fenced “cage” used to store the equipment. Others formed a physical blockade with their bodies to keep work from happening, and to protect those locked-down to the equipment. Banners were also hung off the cage that read: “You are trespassing on Ute land” and “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance.”

13 people were arrested for locking to equipment. An additional six people were arrested after sitting in the road to prevent the removal of those being taken away in two police vans. Two of the protesters arrested were injured. One was taken a nearby hospital to be treated, while the other is being treated at the Uintah County Jail. The nature of their injuries is not being disclosed by the county sheriffs.

Two additional people were arrested when they arrived at Uintah Country Jail to provide support to the land defenders inside. An estimated 10 armed deputies with police dogs were standing outside the jail wearing bullet proof vests. Those at the jail to provide support were told that the deputies were there to “deter” any supporters from actually coming to the jail.

Currently all 21 individuals are still being processed and held.

Support these brave land defenders who put their hearts and bodies on the line by donating to their legal fund.

Rising Tide North America is handling donations through The Action Network. Donate to the land defenders’ legal support fund using this secure link or with the form below:

 

 

Citizens’ Public Hearing against Tar Sands at SITLA Offices, Salt Lake City

Posted on by
Reply

Peaceful Uprising along with Utah Tar Sands Resistance & Occupy SLC present guerrilla street theater at SITLA – Utah State Institutional Trust Lands Administration – in protest of SITLA’s promotion of tar sands development in Utah.

This is the first enactment of PeaceUp’s quarterly Community Audits for 2012 . The community audit model seeks to identify and take action toward both hot spots (sources of injustice to protest) and cool spots (sources of hope to support). In addition to the Tar Sands “hot spot” at SITLA, PeaceUp will also hold a “cool spot” action in solidarity with those fighting for human rights. Check out our blog post to read how we’ve connected the dots between tar sands and human rights (Hint: it has to do with the economy)

No Tar Sands in Utah! No Tar Sands Anywhere! Protest in Salt Lake City

Posted on by
Reply


Protest erupts in Salt Lake City Utah. The proposed mining area in Utah is the first permitted tar sands mining in the United States. While the Bureau of Land management have identified tar sands rocks in as many as five states, Utah sets the precedent. The most current tar sands mining permits are in the scenic Book Cliffs area, visible from Arches National Park, and the most threatened site is at PR Springs.

The Earth First! 2012 Organizers Conference & Winter Rendezvous culminated in a rowdy demonstration outside the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) offices in downtown Salt Lake City. Earth First! activists staged their protest with local organizers from Utah Tar Sands Resistance and Canyon Country Rising Tide. A clear (and messy) message was left at the doorstep—a mock oil spill accompanied by a mural reading “Hey SITLA: Tar Sands Outta Utah!”

The project would lease school trust lands for tar sands extraction in the Book Cliffs area, directly impacting PR Springs.

“Destruction of education trust lands through tar sands mining is contrary to the mandate of this agency, which requires them to maintain the land for the long term,” said Mark Purdy of Utah Tar Sands Resistance.

An article in the Desert News stated: “The proposed mining operation would occupy a 213-acre site in the East Tavaputts Plateau straddling the borders of Uintah and Grand counties. An ore processing facility would accommodate up to 3,500 tons of ore per day in the production of bitumen. The extraction process would require 1.5 barrels to 2 barrels of water per barrel of bitumen produced… The company will have to post a reclamation bond of nearly $1.7 million before any work is allowed to begin at the site.

Last year Earth First! protested tar sands development in Montana, shutting down the state capitol building for a day and even dancing on the governor’s table.