Photos: ChevronToxico Direct Action

Dont you find it suspicious that there were no tanker trucks trying to get through? Nor were the cops even trying to clear any way for them.

It smells like your blockade was ineffective. Chevron probably just rescheduled a few trucks and ignored you with no impact to their production (plus they avoided conflict, and thus a media fiasco.)

Sure, you still created a minor media spectacle. I'm sure it was all very interesting and "empowering" for those involved. But I'm thinking your blockade blocked nothing.

Nice try though.

Posted on Wed, Sep. 10, 2003
Hundreds protest Iraqi oil Bush's request for $87 billion prompted the demonstration
By Rebecca Rosen Lum
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

RICHMOND - More than 300 people rallied at Chevron's Richmond refinery Tuesday night to protest the processing of crude oil from Iraq and to take aim at President Bush, whom organizers say has misled the public about the reasons for the Iraq invasion.

The group rallied at 5:30 p.m. at a community park at West Cutting and South Garrard before walking to the main gates of the Point Richmond plant, where they were met with flanks of police in riot gear.

With the aim of blocking any trucks carrying oil out of the refinery, demonstrators stationed themselves at the main distribution gates, chanting, "They say war, we say peace" as the Brass Liberation Orchestra played "Down by the Riverside."

Organizers said Bush's request for $87 billion for the war prompted the protest. Several people, including a veteran and the mother of a U.S. Marine, said they had come to mistrust the president's statements about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and later statements that one of the war's goals was to liberate and democratize Iraq.

"I come back and find out the freedoms I fought for as a Marine are being taken away by the Patriot Act," said gulf war veteran Eric Shaw.

"All you hear is 'We want this, we want that, we want more troops," said Judith Ross of Fremont, whose 20-year-old son is a Marine. "There is no vision. I feel so betrayed. There have been so many lies and betrayals. It's our children who are being shot at every day."

The demonstration had the feel of a country fair. The Brass Liberation Orchestra regaled the crowd. Children frolicked on the lawn. Several couples brought babies in buggies, and organizers supplied fruit and drinks.

"I don't like the idea of Iraqi oil," said Oakland resident Candy Wright, who teaches school in Hayward. "It seems like blood oil to me. I'm haunted by what's happened to children over there as a result of this war, and 10 years of sanctions."

Several protesters carried signs reading, "No stolen oil."

"I'm not sure what they mean by that," said Chevron spokesman Dean O'Hair, reached earlier in the day. "We have purchased crude oil in the past through the U.N.'s food-for-oil program, and we may very well do so again in the future." Where the company gets its oil and in what quantities remains confidential, he said.

He objected to Clarke and others' contention that Chevron has contaminated the environment or endangered area residents.

"It's not a true statement," he said. "By any measure, our air quality, water quality and our quality of life shows we have a very healthy community here in Richmond."

Sean Lynn, who came with his wife, Shannon, and daughter Kaya, 7 months, said his family experienced two shelter-in-place alarms stemming from accidents at the Richmond refinery in two months.

"It's scary when you're out on a walk and you hear the sirens," he said. "You try to get home as fast as possible."

Lynn gazed with apprehension at the lines of officers holding clubs as he approached the gates. Members of Antioch, Pittsburg and Richmond police departments, the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office, and the California Highway Patrol were in evidence. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms drove along in vans and two helicopters circled overhead.

Richmond's acting Police Chief Chuck Bennett said officers and demonstrators were "matched, about one to one," but said he applauded the demonstration and anticipated no incidents.

"This is what America is all about," he said. "The bottom line is, we're not looking for trouble and this group isn't looking for trouble, so we're going to have a good time tonight."

Officers were armed with nothing more lethal than paint ball guns and bean bag rounds, he said. Several officers milled through the crowd with digital video cameras.

Although executives had left by the time the protesters arrived, the refinery operates 24 hours a day.

"The refinery will continue to operate to produce the fuels the public demands," O'Hair said. "A number of these folks will have the fuel to drive their cars to the assembly site."

Reach reporter Rebecca Rosen Lum at 510-262-2713 or rrosenlum [at] cctimes.com.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/6735495.htm

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SF Comical
Richmond refinery's use of Iraqi oil protested
Wednesday, September 10, 2003

About 300 anti-war demonstrators and environmental activists marched outside a ChevronTexaco Corp. refinery in Richmond on Tuesday, protesting the company's use of Iraqi oil for gasoline. The protest, which was monitored by about 50 police officers, including some in riot gear, was organized by a group called Direct Action to Stop the War. It was peaceful, and there were no incidents. Chevron refined 44 million barrels of Iraqi crude under the United Nations' oil-for-food program last year, according to refinery spokesman Jeff Moore. This year, Chevron has contracted to purchase Iraqi oil from the country's oil ministry.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/10/BA235566.DTL

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No coverage in Oakland Tribune
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KRON
250 Protest ChevronTexaco
VIDEO: 250 Protest ChevronTexaco
Posted: September 9, 2003 at 10:36 p.m.

RICHMOND (AP) -- About 250 protesters marched outside a ChevronTexaco Corp. refinery Tuesday, denouncing the San Ramon-based company for converting Iraqi oil into gasoline.

Organized by a group called Direct Action to Stop the War, the protesters said they were against American businesses profiting from the war in Iraq.

Patrick McGee wore a shirt bearing an image of Bush with the slogan "international terrorist." McGee said he was taking part in the protest "because Chevron is stealing oil from Iraq. They're supporting the war."

ChevronTexaco was previously refining Iraqi oil under a United Nations-backed oil-for-food program, but now is getting Iraqi crude under the auspices of the American occupation.

"The reconstruction of Iraq looks like the corporatization of Iraq," said Patrick Reinsborough, a volunteer with Direct Action to Stop the War.

Dozens of officers in riot gear and other law enforcement officers stood vigil around the refinery to protect it from protesters.

Chevron refined 44 million barrels if Iraqi crude under the United Nation's oil-for-food program last year, spokesman Jeff Moore said. This year, he said, it has contracted to purchase an undisclosed amount of Iraqi oil through year's end.

"We will receive shipments of oil from Iraq's state-run oil ministry," Moore said.

No arrests were reported as of 7 p.m.
http://www.kron.com/Global/story.asp?S=1436231

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Nothing on front page of KPIX
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I think most of us there were acutely aware of the unequal relationship of forces - aware that our side does not currently have the numbers to interfere in a serious way with shipments to or from the refinery. I also think that symbolic acts like this matter a great deal. Among other things, they:

* maintain a precedent for our right to demonstrate at the site (not in some cordoned-off area blocks away)

* give encouragement to others in struggle around the world

* bring people together in solidarity in a way that - far from being some frivolous self-indulgence - is essential for building a long-term political movement.

I you had all rode your bikes there.
Critical Mass.
Bike for Peace.

More bikes would have been better. And in future actions at ChevronTexaco DASW should let people know the 72M bus runs every half hour from downtown Oakland all the way Richmond BART and then on to Pt. Richmond. No need to depend on cars.

... I really have no way of getting to most protests/demonstrations on time due to the fact that I usually have to rush to and from work to attend, and I just can't do that with out a car.

On the plus side my car gets 56 MPG (a Honda Civic VX.)

EVERYTHING TO BLOCK FOR EVERYONE

UNDERSTANDING NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION

A QUICK RESPONSE TO VANS COMMENT OF DISCOURAGEMENT

Of course we knew they would be stupid to move a fuel truck during a publicly declared blockade when they had three hundred cops from six different agencies. They operate 24 hours a day moving fuel out of the truck entrance we blocked. Our goal was to shut them down for one evening and we did. They hardly ignored us—they met at least three times with police, CHP, ATF and called in the FBI themselves. The threat (or promise) of direct action was affective, but it’s important to back it up with action—to keep your promise so that they will shut themselves down in the future too. Direct Action to Stop the War actions have similarly shut down war profiteer and corporate invader in Iraq Bechtel on March 21, and shut down union busting corporate invader of Iraq SSA and war shipping profiteer APL at the Oakland docks on May 12 with a similar promise of direct action. The fact that they choose to shut themselves down to avoid a very public confrontation is a sign of effectiveness.

For me, direct action works on a bunch of different levels.

Direct action helps force alternative views and ideas into community and public discussion through our personal and political networks, independent and at times even corporate media, which people who are not part of the powers that be have little access too.

Direct action trains us to assert our people power to challenge institutions and make changes—thousands of people have become more experienced, skilled, and yes "empowered," to take and organize direct action themselves. And it also gives a model to millions of people—as the shutdown of the financial district after the war—that people can have an impact and take things into our own hands. Mass direct action is how people all over the world survive, make their lives better and topple governments and boot corporations. And yes, these mass actions, uprisings, and insurrections often start as small symbolic actions that don’t always impress folks sitting at their computers firing off more-radical-than critiques.

I think changing the world is more about shifting the way we and our communities think and relate to each other and to those in power, than it is about physical or military control of objects.

Anyways, that’s enough. Beautiful pics. Beatiful full moon night.

It takes a diverse ecosystem of resistance to change things.

PS: Thoughtful analysis of mass direct action revolution by an old direct action organizer at:
http://actagainstwar.org/article.php?id=34

bikes are good if you have time. like the poster above, i rushed from work and made it just in time for the march. this would not have been possible w/ a bike or w/ BART (my job's not near BART). one of the most evil thing about capitalism is how much time is stolen for us, for who among us would really rather spend our time at wage slave jobs, or commuting to work, when we could be doing useful work in our own communities, our own neighborhoods. there would be a hell of a lot less driving without having to go to work. i love taking a day on the weekend and not getting in my car.

i often wish public transportation were emphasized as much as bicycles for those who want to see us all get out of our cars. many people can't, or won't, bike, for various reasons, and have to rely either on a car, rides from others, or public transit, and the public transit in the bay area, esp. once you leave the city, is abysmal. i don't have all day to get around - i'd rather steal some time for myself at some point in my day.


i hate the oil dependency. but i think it may take turning our society around some more before we can change this.