Support keeps rolling in for Tim DeChristopher—the recently convicted environmental activist who disrupted a federal oil and gas auction in 2008. The latest effort is a music video for a song by Alex Ebert—singer of the prominent indie rock band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The song is not directly about DeChristopher, but its hopeful title (“Let’s Win!”) seems appropriate. The video, meanwhile, is comprised of footage from the protests outside the Salt Lake City courtroom where he was convicted last March. At the end, people are asked to visit the website of DeChristopher’s activist group Peaceful Uprising, which is calling for action on the day of his sentencing, June 23. The date also happens to be the 23rd anniversary of the day that NASA scientist James Hansen first testified to Congress about the threat of climate change. So, it is a momentous day, if not, as the organizers say on their website, “a turning point in the climate movement.” They also say:
Consider this our call to you. On June 23rd, show the world that we will not be intimidated; that it is our right to challenge the status quo; that we embrace peaceful civil disobedience as a tradition and as a vital tactic, if it means standing in the way of corporate rape and pillaging of our planet; that we will demand jury trials and empower our peers to be the true conscience of their community.
If you can come to Salt Lake City, we welcome you with open arms. If you cannot, find a federal courthouse near you. Demonstrate. Stand in joy and resolve. Show your outrage that one of our brothers could face the most severe sentence in history for a nonviolent direct action— raising a bidder paddle.
Reclaim your voice. Because you are not alone. The entire climate justice movement is standing behind you.
“To the children of Mao Zedong, take my arm and walk me in.Oh, dancing, yeah, let’s win!” Dipshit hippies. I fully support DeChristopher’s release, but fashion shows like this are embarrassing. Thank god our own revolution wasn’t fought with drum circles.
Brent, you raise a good point. The video does evoke a 1960s era protest vibe, which is no doubt a turn-off for a lot of people. Generally I’m in that camp as well. I think protesters should avoid cliches and stereotypes because they often overshadow the issue and make it easier for people to write off. For some reason it didn’t occur to me with this video. Perhaps because I tend to like this artist’s music. So do a lot of people, which is a good thing because that could expose the issue to a wider group, many of whom are likely apolitical. Hopefully not everyone will have your reaction, but if they do, I think it’s understandable. Thanks for pointing it out.
I love how Democracy Now just lets him speak for himself. So much has been said about him, but not nearly enough has been said by him. Check it out: http://tinyurl (dot) com/3pbksth