The People's Record

Here’s just a preview of the Tar Sands Blockade mass action to stop the Keystone XL pipeline today in Nacogdoches, Texas:

• Four blockaders locked themselves down to construction and land clearing equipment early this morning. Two blockaders were pepper-sprayed, all four were arrested and two direct support comrades were also arrested.
  Police used excessive force, especially when removing protesters from the land. Officers also refused to wipe the faces of the two blockaders who were pepper sprayed, leaving them covered in painful chemicals. They were all also refused water onsite. All six were released a couple of hours later.

• In an attempt to stop the cherry picker from extracting three tree-sitters, a swarm of protesters stood in the road to prevent the machine’s passing. A police officer immediately defended the machinery and pepper-sprayed the crowd without warning, striking a 75-year-old woman, a Nacogdoches resident and others at point blank. Two were arrested for blocking the road. Another comrade was also arrested at the tree-sit site.

• Three tree-sitters (photos of this awesome protest coming soon) were extracted from their platforms by a cherry picker this afternoon. They were all arrested, two were strip searched and all tree-sitters are still in jail. The charges against them are still unknown.

• Earlier in the day, east Texas residents and Tar Sands Blockade supporters held a rally in solidarity with the blockaders & tree-sitters. Solidarity actions were held in more than 40 cities worldwide. 

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More details & tons of photos coming soon, so stay tuned.