More power to the shift

No-more-coal! No-more-coal! No-more-coal! was the rhythmic chant reverberating throughout the streets surrounding the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 2, as columns of thousands of people from all corners of our nation marched through snow and 16-degree temperatures from Spirit of Justice Park to the power plant several blocks south that supplies heat for the legislative branch of the federal government.

The march continued to circle the power plant as some stayed behind at each gate, intending to perform nonviolent civil disobedience by blocking traffic in and out. The police were everywhere, but were nonthreatening, even helpful in many instances. The circle ended at New Jersey and E streets, where there was a stage for speakers such as respected authors Bill McKibben and Wendell Berry, NASA scientist James Hansen, and Robert F. Kennedy with his two young children to join him in being arrested for the cause.

But there were no arrests. The police carefully moved people out of the way, but did not charge them, disappointing those who had come a long way to make a statement through personal nonviolent sacrifice.

The weekend just prior to the Capitol Climate Action brought to Washington a convergence of 12,000 students and young activists in the form of PowerShift, a major strategy conference to address the climate-change crisis by stopping the use of coal to produce electricity. PowerShift included workshops, trainings, meetings and a rally with speakers, folksingers, rappers and poets—strongly reminiscent of an anti-war organizational effort from the 1960s.

On Feb. 26, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pre-empted PowerShift and the Capitol Climate Action by jointly announcing that the Capitol’s power plant would stop using coal and convert entirely to natural gas. The goal of the grass-roots effort had now been realized even before the event took place. But, while the air-quality issue in D.C. is very real, the power plant is largely a symbol for a larger national movement. So, organizers plowed forward with demonstration plans.

At 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, in frigid air, 12 people from Asheville boarded a van rented by the Canary Coalition to join more than 400 North Carolinians who were en route or already in D.C. to join the PowerShift and the Capitol Climate Action.

North Carolinians met with others who helped organize the Capitol Climate Action. We handed out more than 5,000 postcards informing participants of the next major national action on climate change: On April 20, there will be nonviolent civil disobedience and a mass rally in Charlotte to stop Duke Energy from completing construction on its new—and we believe unlawful, immoral and unnecessary—coal-burning power plant at Cliffside.

The Cliffside rally is being organized by a broad coalition of health, environmental, social-justice and faith-based organizations in North Carolina, with the help of others in the national movement. It is expected that people will actually get arrested this time. Can we stop Cliffside? Yes we can.

— Avram Friedman, director
Canary Coalition
Sylva

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “More power to the shift

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.