Thousands Protest at Chevron Richmond Refinery

Posted in Community, Environment

Several thousand protesters marched Saturday to the gates Chevron Richmond Refinery demonstrating against the destruction of the earth’s environment by Chevron and other fossil fuel global corporations. “Hey, hey, ho, ho, fossil fuels have got to go,” and “We are unstoppable – another world is possible,” were among the chants.Richmond’s Green Mayor Gayle McLaughlin was one of the speakers who spoke at the rally.

Over   200 were arrested in a civil disobedience at the plant gates. The protest coincided with the anniversary of the Aug. 6, 2012 Richmond Refinery fire, which erupted after a corroded crude-oil pipe sprang a leak, sending a cloud of black smoke into the sky. About 15,000 people in Richmond and surrounding cities sought treatment at hospitals, complaining of respiratory problems.

Bill McKibben, one of the event organizers and cofounder of the nonprofit group 350.org, was among the first people arrested Saturday. “Everybody thought at first that if you have a problem this big that scientists said is a problem, then our system would act,” McKibben said. “But at a certain point it became clear that wasn’t happening. The science was no match for the money. They’ve purchased the U.S. Congress.”