Above Photo: Greenpeace.
Protesters expected to hang around for 24 hours, until Friday morning
Nearly a dozen Greenpeace protesters were arrested after hanging from the Fred Hartman bridge in Houston and forcing the closure of part of the Houston Ship Channel Thursday while taking on President Donald Trump and the oil industry.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirms a portion of the upper channel near Baytown was closed during the protest, between Light 102A and Light 104.
This happened as the city was preparing for Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate.
Greenpeace tweeted Thursday morning that they were in Houston to protest the use of fossil fuels outside the country’s largest oil port and that they wanted to shut it down, “if only for a day.”
“We’re in the heart of the fossil fuel industry (the largest oil export channel in the US) to confront Trump & the oil industry,” Greenpeace tweeted.
The Harris County Sherrif’s office later tweeted that the protestors were being taken into custody.
Deputies have begun placing protestors on the Fred Hartman Bridge into custody and placing them under arrest. The operation is ongoing. #hounews pic.twitter.com/vUYxySDB9C
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) September 12, 2019
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) September 12, 2019
Deputies are working with @HoustonFire and @BaytownFireDept to repel down to make contact with protesters hanging from the Hartman Bridge. Goal is to bring them to awaiting boats safely. #hounews pic.twitter.com/kXhDCJFM8B
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) September 12, 2019
These boats from HCSO @USCG @houstonpolice and other partners are staged to take custody of protestors #hounews pic.twitter.com/LU4JOYLjKI
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) September 12, 2019
We’re grateful to have our brothers with @HoustonFire and @BaytownFireDept on the ropes that hold our deputies. #hounews pic.twitter.com/GvSMDNxJzV
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) September 13, 2019
The closure blocked tanker traffic to and from five major refineries in the Houston area. The Coast Guard said Thursday morning one vessel inbound and two outbound were being held due to the protest.
Greenpeace said the protesters, who were suspended from the bridge along with colorful banners, are planning to hang from the bridge for 24 hours.
Two of the protesters hanging from the bridge published blog posts on Greepeace.com saying why they were taking part in the protest. One of the bloggers, Brianna Gibson, said she was suspended from the bridge to send a message about the pollutants caused by refineries processing fossil fuels.