“I can’t think of a more important place to be,” said Kidder, who is best known for her role as Lois Lane in four of the original Superman movies. “President Obama has the chance here to do the right thing and stop this pipeline. I’m here to help make sure he does it.”
“It’s an honor to be here with so many people from across the US,” said Tantoo Cardinal, the iconic indigenous actor best known for her roles in Legends of the Fall, Dances with Wolves, and Smoke Signals. Cardinal was born in the capitol of the tar sands, Ft. McMurray, Alberta. “This is about protecting our land, our water, and our climate. The tar sands destruction has to stop.”
Cardinal and Kidder gathered with a crowd of over 150 people in Lafeyette Square park this morning to hear from environmental author, Bill McKibben, who is spearheading the protests. In an effort to “deter future participants,” the DC Park Police had held McKibben and 55 other participants from last Saturday’s demonstration in jail for two nights before dropping all charges and releasing them on Monday afternoon. Sunday and Monday’s protestors were released after being arrested, taken to a Park Police station, and paying $100 fine for “disobeying a police order.”
“When we were in jail, the only thing we wanted was more company,” said McKibben to a cheering crowd this morning. “Your work has helped make this the most important environmental question President Obama has to make before the 2012 election. And we’ll be here every day this week and next to make sure he makes the right call.”
Below: "Tantoo Cardinal and Margot Kidder at the White House protest before being arrested." (Milan Ilnyckyj/TarSandsAction.org)
1 comment:
"In an effort to “deter future participants,” the DC Park Police had held McKibben and 55 other participants from last Saturday’s demonstration in jail for two nights before dropping all charges and releasing them on Monday afternoon."
Does that bit strike anyone else as an unconstitutional abuse of power?
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