Letter Writing to Marius Mason (5/25)

  • May 19, 2020 11:39 am

from Philly ABC

Our letter writing event for this month will be for Marius Mason, who has unfortunately been recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and will be fighting the virus from behind bars. Marius was chosen both because of his diagnosis and also because of the fast-approaching June 11th International Day of Solidarity with Marius and all long-term Anarchist prisoners.

The event will be held on May 25th at 6:30 PM. Due to COVID-19, this event will be held online using the secure open source video conferencing platform, Jitsi. Privacy is encouraged – no one is expected to share their camera. The meeting details will be posted here a day before the event.

Background: Marius Mason is a transgender, environmental and animal rights activist. In 1999, in the name of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) he set fire to a lab at the University of Michigan that was conducting research on genetically modified organisms (GMO).  After Marius’ husband turned states-evidence, Marius was threatened with a life sentence for the arson and other acts of sabotage. With little financial stability and fear of dragging his family into a costly legal battle, Marius pled guilty and was given an extreme sentence of nearly 22 years. No one was ever harmed in any of his actions.

Marius lived and worked in the Detroit area for most of his life. Like the late Earth First! (EF!) organizer, Judi Bari, he was part of a generation of radicals who worked to link the environmental and labor movements, and was jointly active in both EF! and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). It was this alliance which led to the initial success of the anti-globalization movement such as at the 1999 anti-WTO demonstration in Seattle. Mason was an editor of the Industrial Worker, the IWW newspaper, and a musician who recorded a neo-folk album, Not For Profit, with fellow EF!er Darryl Cherney in 1999. He also worked with numerous political as well as traditional charity groups.

If you are unable to join us on Jitsi, please send Marius a letter anyways:

Marie (Marius) Mason -061

FCI Danbury

Route 37

Danbury, CT 06811

United States

Community Groups Across Pennsylvania to Protest Mariner East Pipelines, Jailing of Huntington County Resident Ellen Sue Gerhart

  • August 25, 2018 8:01 pm

from Earth First! Newswire

On Saturday, August 25th, community groups across Pennsylvania will participate in a coordinated day of resistance to Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners’ Mariner East pipeline projects. The events will highlight the safety and environmental concerns associated with the Mariner East pipelines, as well as the unjust jailing of grandmother and retired teacher Ellen Sue Gerhart for opposing pipeline construction on her family’s property.

Since construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline began, there have been an astounding 224 documented spills, including a 4,000 gallon hazardous drilling fluid spill on the Gerhart property. Over a dozen families across the Commonwealth have lost access to their well water due to spills, while over 40 schools are situated in the blast zone of the pipeline.

In a variety of coordinated actions across the state, residents and community groups will demand that Governor Wolf halt construction on the Mariner pipelines, which pose a grave risk to residents, schools, communities, and waterways of the Commonwealth.

Ellen Gerhart, known by many as “mama bear”, has been unjustly incarcerated for nearly one month.  Organizers of the events chose the #WeAreMamaBear hashtag to demonstrate that residents across the state stand in solidarity with the Gerharts, and that Sunoco’s attempt to intimidate residents into silence is only causing more people to speak out.

 

WHAT: Statewide Day of Community Resistance

#DefendWhatYouLove #WeAreMamaBear

 

WHEN: Saturday, August 25 | All day

 

DETAILS: A map of public-facing events is available here: bit.ly/wearemamabear. Highlights include:

 

  • In East Goshen, Chester County at 10am, Uwchlan Safety Coalition & Goshen United for Public Safety will host a family friendly rally to voice opposition to Mariner East, in solidarity with Ellen Gerhart. Residents directly impacted by pipeline construction will be available to speak to press.

  • In Butler Township at 11am, Marcellus Outreach Butler will host a die-in at PNC Bank, one of the major funders of Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the Mariner East pipelines.

  • In Annville Township at 4pm on Friday, August 24, Lebanon Pipeline Awareness will create a ‘human billboard’ along Main Street to demonstrate opposition to Mariner East and solidarity with Ellen Gerhart

 

Several actions have yet to be announced.  Releases will be forthcoming throughout the day

Call to Action: Camp White Pine to Resist the Mariner East 2 Pipeline in Pennsylvania

  • March 30, 2017 9:20 am

from Earth First! Newswire

March 18 rally against the Mariner East 2 pipeline at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon, PA. Photo by Angela Vogel

As the seasons begin to change, something’s stirring in the mountains and valleys of Northern Appalachia.

With construction season upon us, there’s a call for land defenders and water protectors to join the growing resistance to pipelines and fracking infrastructure across the region. In the Susquehanna Valley of so-called Pennsylvania, Camp White Pine is digging in our heels to fight the Mariner East 2 pipeline, and invites you to come join us. Exactly a year after tree-sitters successfully interfered with the completion of tree-clearing along the pipeline route in Huntingdon County, we are once again confronting Sunoco Logistics, the same company responsible in part for the Dakota Access pipeline across Sioux territory in North and South Dakota. The Mariner East 2 is a 350+ mile long pipeline project, comprised of two new pipelines starting in southeastern Ohio, and running through northern West Virginia and across the length of Pennsylvania. These lines will carry natural gas liquids (NGLs) like butane, ethane, and propane to an export facility along the Delaware River in Marcus Hook, PA.

Resistance to the Mariner East 2 is spreading, with impacted residents and organizers working in communities all along the proposed route. Here in Huntingdon, work has already begun at Raystown Lake, the largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania state borders, where Sunoco intends to use a horizontal directional drill to bore underneath and lay the pipe. Sunoco Logistics and its subcontractors have no regard for the beauty of Appalachia, the preservation of its diverse ecosystems and rich culture. They care not for the people of the Lower Susquehanna. We at Camp White Pine are here to stop the Mariner East 2 pipeline. If you have a passion for fighting energy extraction and infrastructure and believe in preserving the forests and rivers of Appalachia, come and join us in the valley this spring and summer.

Get in touch with us:
whitepineresist[at]riseup.net
resistsunocopa.com
facebook.com/resistsunocopa

Susquehanna Regional Climb Camp, August 12-18th

  • July 26, 2016 7:53 pm

from Hudson Valley Earth First

August 12 – 18, 2016

Location in Southeastern Pennsylvania TBA

The fossil fuel infrastructure build out and its accompanied tree-cutting has made us realize the need for more skilled climbers to combat the destruction of our regions and earth. Join regional organizers/trainers for a week long climb camp and practice skills in basic and advanced treeclimbing, platform rigging for tree-sits, aerial blockades and more!

Take the fight against fossil fuel infrastructure to new heights! Get climb trained!

For more information or to RSVP, please email SusquehannaCC@riseup.net

In your RSVP please indicate your level of previous training and what you hope to get out of the camp. Let us know about special dietary and other needs so that we can do our best to accommodate you. Please come prepared for a week of camping.