Hello friends. Apologies again for yet another semi-generic email - but something else I wanted to share with you.

Yesterday (Oct 23rd), at six am, I and three other activists scaled a giant construction crane outside Bank of America's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Using technical climbing equipment, two of us rappelled off the arm of the crane, and the team unfurled a 2,000 square foot banner (40'x50') stating: "Bank of America: Funding Coal, Killing Communities". After being in the crane for nearly 3 hours and battling fierce winds, we safely ended the demonstration and came down to the ground. The action was organized by Rainforest Action Network, and included members of RAN, Rising Tide North America, and Earth First!. 4 of us were arrested and charged with simple first-degree trespassing; Matt Leonard from San Francisco, CA; Joshua Rumschlag of Clearwater, Fla.; Brian Wallin, of Asheville, NC; and John Watterberg, of Brooklyn, New York.



Coal is rapidly becoming a heated issue as community groups, national organizations, top scientists, and political leaders are building momentum for a complete moratorium to this outdated, dirty, and deadly technology. Coal-fired power plants are the leading cause of climate change worldwide, responsible for 24,000 deaths annually from air pollution in the US, and the recent boom in proposed coal expansion (what!?) is being financed by billions of dollars provided by Wall Street banks like Bank of America. In addition, Bank of America is a top financier for the mining practice of mountain-top removal, in which hundreds of entire mountains across Appalachia have been leveled for the pursuit of cheap coal. Entire communities have been destroyed from MTR - mining companies literally level mountain tops to expose coal seams, leaving the toxic debris in neighboring valleys. Appalachian communities have had their air quality and health destroyed, their water supplies rendered toxic, lost a national treasure and vibrant ecosystem - and had their local economies decimated as mining companies reduce their labor force by tens of thousands of workers. Learn more about the problems of coal, climate change, and the campaign I work on at www.dirtymoney.org

Our goals of this action were many, and we feel very successful. The banking center of downtown Charlotte woke up to see the truths behind Bank of America's investment polices; that they are accelerating global warming, polluting our air, and destroying the lives of communities across the globe. As executives and employees started their workday at Bank of America's headquarters -the banner sent a powerful message to America's largest retail bank that being one of the top financiers of coal and climate change is unacceptable business, and not something they can hide from their customers. Beyond the direct statements to thousands of Charlotte residents and bank employees (who were actually a receptive crowd on the ground), we also received dozens of stories in regional media and were a top story on all the local TV news stations. And nationally, we were covered in Forbes, MSNBC, Associated Press and many more. Most stories were at least fair and balanced presenting the issues, and several were incredibly supportive of our issues and actions.

And most importantly - ones of our goals was to inspire others to act. While the fight against coal is being largely led by communities across Appalachia, it is an imperative global issue if we are to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. To really shift our economies and industries away from destructive industries like coal - the Inconvenient Truth is that if we are to have a livable future planet, some things will be inconvenient to "business as usual". Charlotte hasn't seen civil disobedience since the Vietnam war, so while the event shut down the city center for a while - the disruption was nothing compared to what residents of the coalfields are experiencing every day, and what will we all experience if we keep destroying our atmosphere. The crowds on the street (and arresting officers and firefighters) were all incredibly supportive of our issues and actions, offering an "official" scolding but with "unofficial" admiration, respect, and support. While we don't expect people to mimic our actions, we fully believe it will inspire many people to realize the seriousness of the issues at hand.

This action also happened on the same day as a public hearing in nearby Raleigh where Duke Energy is expected to draw serious opposition to a planned coal-fired power plant and just days before hearings for the Stream Buffer Zone rule affecting coal mining in Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee. A full-page ad in the local Charlotte weekly paper ran this week as well, objecting to Duke's local coal proposals. And in less than a week, over 5,000 youth (myself included) will gather in Washington DC for the Powershift Conference - strategizing and mobilizing for a clean energy future.

Pictures, video, and a heated blog discussion more are available at www.ran.org


-Matt

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Matt Leonard
losinghand@riseup.net
AIM / Skype / gTalk - losinghand