Louisiana – The battle to stop the Bayou Bridge Pipeline has been a long one, with many successes. Not only did we organize 700 local people to the public comment meetings, we sent around 20,000 public comments in by mail.
We have shown up to support and hold teach-ins in communities from Lake Charles to St James, to Shreveport. We have held art parties, and attended council, church, and civic group meetings. We have canvassed neighborhoods and created letter writing campaigns.
We have created discomfort for impotent politicians, and sleepless nights for greedy corporate thieves. We have held call-ins, sit-ins, and pray-ins. We have hiked together, floated together, danced together, sang together, celebrated together, mourned together, gained together, and lost together. And we have won, on both the state and federal level! Those cases remain, and are ongoing as we speak.
It is true. We are warriors, and we are family.
We have always said, the thing about this struggle is that if someone leaves for a bit, they come back to an entirety new campaign. That is because of the unique spirit of each of you – the water protectors – and what you each bring to this battle. It is also because of the moment or stage of ETP’s offensive.
For the last two days not one single tree has been cut in parts of the Atchafalaya Basin regarding this pipeline. We have kayakers resisting from water. We have climbers resisting in the air.
We have come now to the stage where they try to weaken us by using the law as a weapon towards us. They know nothing of the moral struggle in which we engage. Money has clouded their eyes so that they cannot see that if the law is to truly serve justice, then WE are the law.
The community of Freetown in St James deserves a path out of their poisoned community. Neighbors deserve protection from flooding and equal protection under the law. Crawfishers in the Atchafalaya Basin deserve to be able to make a living. And ALL of our children deserve clean water and life.
This is not open for debate.
Tomorrow is a big day for this campaign. The tree-sitters are in danger in particular as State Act 692 (formerly HB727) goes into effect. The law further criminalizes dissent and makes it a felony to be on the pipeline easement. The company has made a point to cut straight up to the sits, leading us to think that tomorrow morning is the day they plan to also go in. Additionally, one of our water protectors will go to court tomorrow, having been served a restraining order last week.
We need you and your voice like never before.
We would like you to keep an eye on our social media pages tomorrow. Please share and take action as asked. This is the time when no role is too small. We need everyone. If you can come help, PLEASE apply to join us at Camp. All levels of skill and position needed.
If you can’t come, but can make a donation to the legal fund, that’s okay and you can please donate here.
Whatever happens tomorrow, we want to tell you how proud we are of all that we have accomplished. Thank you for your strength, your heart, and your vision… much love, MNI WICONI! L’EAU EST LA VIE!