Extraction Resistance: Solidarity with Tar Sands Blockade and Unis’tot’en Camp

In response to the Tar Sands Blockade call out for Solidarity on January 7th, radical groups and organizations from across the Colorado Front Range are joining forces on January 5th and 6th to raise donations and material support in the fight against the tar sands and industrial extraction. Deep Green Resistance, Denver Anarchist Black Cross, and other local groups are collaborating to organize Extraction Resistance: Solidarity with the Tar Sands Blockade & Unis’tot’en Camp.

In addition to collecting funds and supplies for both the Tar Sands Blockade and the Unis’tot’en Camp, the two-day event will include workshops and teach-ins on radical resistance to extraction across Colorado & North America.

With the aim of providing a space for education and discussion around a wide range of topics, the organizers hope to foster further discussion and facilitate new relationships that will cultivate resistance against industrial extraction in Colorado and solidarity with those fighting it elsewhere.

Workshops–which will cover a variety of topics including radical environmentalism, social justice, anti-extraction and direct action–will be hosted by Deep Green Resistance, Denver Anarchist Black Cross, the Beehive Design Collective, indigenous organizer & NVDA trainer Robert Chanate, Glenn Morris of the American Indian Movement of Colorado, and more. An updated schedule is posted below.

Besides building local capacity and networks, the event also aims to directly support those who are on the front lines in the fight against the tar sands and industrial extraction. The event will serve as a fundraiser, with a requested donation at the door of $5-20, with all proceeds going to the Tar Sands Blockade and the Unis’tot’en Camp. However, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Lunch will be provided for those attending, including vegan and gluten-free options.

We will also be collecting donations of materials for these groups, so please bring any camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), bicycles (working or not), warm winter clothes, climbing gear, rain gear, non-perishable food, rope, medical supplies, and tools (shovels, saws, drills, etc.). For a complete list, see the Tar Sands Blockade’s ‘Wish List’:http://tarsandsblockade.org/donate-3/wishlist/

Workshop Descriptions:

The Beehive Collective presents:
The True Cost of Fossil Fuels: Climate Justice and the Fight for our Future!(10:15am, Saturday, January 5th)

Join us for an interactive, graphics-based workshop about the growing movement for climate justice on this continent.

This summer North America saw an inspiring amount of grass-roots organizing against fossil fuel extraction. From growing resistance to hydro-fracking for natural gas, to the derailing of the Keystone XL pipeline project, to the continued disruption of mountaintop removal sites in Appalachia, folks are waking up to the threat posed by dirty, dangerous fossil fuel extraction and working to build alternatives.

At this crucial moment, we would like to invite your community to be part of this dialogue. The Beehive will share the stories of different fossil fuel struggles around the continent using the acclaimed “True Cost of Coal” graphic. We will engage participants by mixing together antidotes from the coalfields of Appalachia, statistics about different forms of fossil fuel extraction, and a variety of activities to learn more about the struggles against fossil fuels in this region and weave them into this
growing tapestry of resistance!

Hidden Impacts of Fracking In Colorado (1:15pm, Saturday, January 5th)

Presented by Shane Davis, local fracking activist
The state of Colorado has failed to prevent adverse impacts to the environment and to human health. Uncovering official State documents reveals the shocking truth of the harmful threats we face from mining that uses hydraulic fracturing. (Data mining workshop 101: Industry language, acronyms, departments, official docx, website architecture and acquisition methods to compile meaningful, useful data)

Time Is Short: The Case for Underground Resistance (3:30 pm, Saturday, January 5th)

Every living system on the planet is in decline, and industrial capitalism is killing Earth. While countless communities around the world are fighting back, we must be honest: overall, we are losing. Deep Green Resistance advocates for organized, strategic underground action to collapse the global industrial economy before it is too late. This presentation will explore the history of underground action and the it’s potential as a strategy to save a dying world.

Liberals and Radicals: Critical Theory for Effective Action (4:15 and 5:15 pm, Saturday, January 5th)

Members of Deep Green Resistance will present and facilitate a discussion about liberalism and radicalism, two political doctrines often talked about but not understood. The historic and contemporary dominance of liberalism has handed us a framework that misunderstands the nature of power and social change, and that truncates actions that would otherwise be effective. By re-examining liberalism and radicalism in the context of the environmental movement, we can make better decisions and take more effective action.

For more information, contact DGR Colorado at deepgreenresistancecolorado@riseup.net