Greenpeace Charlotte Field Organizer Monica Embrey’s statement at opening rally at March on Wall St South.
Listen to Monica’s interview with Democracy Now
September 2, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Its great to be here today with all of you. My name is Monica Embrey and Im the NC Organizer with Greenpeace based in Charlotte. Today we stand here with many different issues social, economic and environmental but our vision of the world we want is clear: a world that is just for all of its people and the planet.
We will be stopping today in front of the largest energy utility in the country Duke Energy. Duke is trying to buy political influence, spending millions to bring the DNC to Charlotte and millions more to befriend Democrats and Republicans alike. Not only do they pollute our democracy, but Duke is polluting our planet anddestroying the lives of people in Charlotte and across the world with their dirty business.
Duke blows the tops of off of mountains across Appalachia to mine the coal that we burn here in NC in coal power plants. My friend Heidi has severe asthma because of Dukes dirty coal, which prevents her from playing outside her with daughter on hot summer days. Air and water pollution from coal plants probably contributed to my friends Saras cancer, and taken the lives of many including Gwenns husband who used to run the tractor at a Duke coal plant.
The pollution is deadly. Someone in this country dies every hour because of the toxins emitted by coal fired power plants.
Worse yet, burning all of this coal is also the leading cause of global climate change which further links all of our struggles. As the planet gets hotter and the sea begins to rise, more and more people across the planet will struggle to have enough food and water to survive. This means we will see more wars over limited resources, more refugees crossing borders to survive as their land disappears into the seas or their farmland burns.
It is also more important than ever that we are bringing people together to form a progressive movement again in this country. A movement that takes on corporate greed and mistreatment of all people as well as our planet.As Dr King said: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We must keep taking a stand in the streets and defending our communities. Thank you for standing with me today. Power the people.
