I’d already been suspended from the bridge for nearly 30 hours. I was sore, I’d barely slept, and the unusually hot Portland sun had me sweating in my protective gear.
But in that moment, none of it mattered, because we did what we had come there to do — delay Shell’s Arctic oil drilling plans. From my hammock suspended high above Portland’s Willamette River, I watched elated as Shell’s Arctic icebreaking vessel turned around and headed back to port.
All in all, 13 of us spent nearly 40 hours suspended from the St. Johns Bridge last July in an aerial blockade, delaying Shell’s MSV Fennica from reaching the Arctic and allowing the company to begin drilling for oil. We set out to delay Shell for as long as possible, and we succeeded.
That day, we not only stood up to Shell’s devastating drilling plans, we scored a major victory for people power against corporate greed.
When I look back at the moment the Fennica turned around — us suspended in the air, tiny kayaks standing in the way of the huge ship below us, and hundreds yelling “stop that boat” on shore — I think to myself, ‘this is what a movement looks like.’
Of course, it’s not every day that you suspend yourself from a bridge to make a statement. But we did it because we knew direct action was our last chance to stop Shell. When those in power refuse to hear the will of the people time and again, we have to break their indifference and make our voices heard.
Now, we have a chance to make that same impact with the Democracy Awakening movement.
I’m taking non-violent direct action again this April to give Congress the wake up call it needs, and I want you to join me.
Let’s Build a Movement for Our Democracy
We didn’t win the fight against Shell because there were 13 of us hanging from a bridge. We won because we had the strength of a movement behind us.
If we’re going to succeed again for our democracy, we’ll need that same movement. This isn’t just our best chance to build a political system that puts people before profit, it could be our last chance. Right now, in the midst of a major election, we have to signal loud and clear that democracy should be of, by, and for the people — not corporations like Shell and Exxon.
If we don’t, the consequences could be dire. Already, Americans face more and more barriers to participating in our democracy, from attacks on our voting rights to the outsized influence of money in politics.
In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have had to suspend myself from a bridge to stop Shell from plundering the Arctic for oil. In an ideal world, President Obama would have listened to the 7 million people worldwide asking him to stop Shell, to his fellow political leaders who opposed Arctic drilling, and to his own rhetoric on climate change. But that’s not how it happened.
I found myself on that bridge because it was the only way for us to be heard over the corporate powers holding our government hostage.
Dan Cannon suspended under the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregon during an aerial blockade to stop Shell in July 2015.
Our climate, our environment, and our futures are protected when our democracy puts people above oil companies. For me, that’s what Democracy Awakening is all about.
Mobilize With Me
Democracy Awakening is already a movement of thousands, but I know we can be stronger. To pull this off, we need folks to do everything from risking arrest outside the halls of Congress to supporting the action as a volunteer marshall — everyone has something valuable to offer. I’ll be there, risking arrest, because I know that this is our best chance to build a democracy that works for us.
Just like we’re trying to create a democracy that works for all of us, this action is for all of us. We’re joining folks from the labor, racial justice, LGBTQ, economic equality movements and more, because our democracy affects everyone.
The only thing we need is you.
My democracy is one in which people’s voices speak louder than corporate money — what does your democracy look like? Share what democracy means to you at mydemocracyis.tumblr.com and on Twitter and Instagram using #mydemocracy.
#MyDemocracy is one that puts people over profit. What's yours? #DemocracyAwakens @DemAwakening pic.twitter.com/fHbKZy5qUt
— Dan Cannon (@DanEnviroCannon) March 23, 2016
Dan Cannon is a senior national organizer with Greenpeace USA.
