{"id":2174,"date":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/campaign-updates\/2174\/mydemocracy-puts-people-above-polluters\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T07:44:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:44:18","slug":"mydemocracy-puts-people-above-polluters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/mydemocracy-puts-people-above-polluters\/","title":{"rendered":"#MyDemocracy Puts People Above Polluters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last summer, I saw what non-violent direct action can achieve in the fight to stop Shell Oil from plundering the Arctic. This spring, I\u2019m doing it again with the movement to awaken a democracy for people, not corporations. <\/span><\/p>\n

#MyDemocracy - Dan Cannon
Activist Dan Cannon holds a sign that reads “I’m mobilizing because corporations should NOT be able to buy politicians.” The #MyDemocracy project is sharing the stories of people across the country rising up to claim democracy for the people. Photo by Greenpeace \/ Ian Foulk. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019d already been suspended from the bridge for nearly 30 hours. I was sore, I\u2019d barely slept, and the unusually hot Portland sun had me sweating in my protective gear. <\/span><\/p>\n

But in that moment, none of it mattered, because we did what we had come there to do \u2014 <\/span>delay Shell\u2019s Arctic oil drilling plans<\/span><\/a>. From my hammock suspended high above Portland\u2019s Willamette River, I watched elated as Shell\u2019s Arctic icebreaking vessel turned around and headed back to port. <\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/span>MSV Fennica<\/span><\/i> 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\u00a0we succeeded. <\/span><\/p>\n

That day, we not only stood up to Shell\u2019s devastating drilling plans, we scored a major victory for people power against corporate greed.<\/p>\n

When I look back at the moment the <\/span>Fennica<\/span><\/i> turned around \u2014 us suspended in the air, tiny kayaks standing in the way of the huge ship below us, and hundreds yelling \u201cstop that boat\u201d on shore \u2014 I think to myself, \u2018this is what a movement looks like.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now, we have a chance to make that same impact with the <\/span>Democracy Awakening movement<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m taking non-violent direct action again this April to give Congress the wake up call it needs, and I want you to <\/span>join me<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Build a\u00a0Movement for Our Democracy<\/h2>\n

We didn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we\u2019re going to succeed again for our democracy, we\u2019ll need that same movement. This isn\u2019t just our best chance to build a political system that puts people before profit,\u00a0it 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 \u2014 not corporations like Shell and Exxon. <\/span><\/p>\n

If we don\u2019t, the consequences could be dire. Already, Americans face more and more barriers to participating in our democracy, from attacks on our voting rights<\/a> to the outsized influence of money in politics<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

In an ideal world, I wouldn\u2019t 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 <\/span>7 million people worldwide<\/span><\/a> asking him to stop Shell, to his <\/span>fellow political leaders<\/span><\/a> who opposed Arctic drilling, and to <\/span>his own rhetoric<\/span><\/a> on climate change. But that\u2019s not how it happened. <\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Shell<\/a><\/p>\n

Dan Cannon suspended under the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregon during an aerial blockade to stop Shell in July 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Our climate, our environment, and our futures are protected when our democracy puts people above oil companies. For me, that\u2019s what Democracy Awakening is all about. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mobilize With Me<\/h2>\n

Democracy Awakening<\/a> is already a movement of thousands, but I know we\u00a0can 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 \u2014 everyone has something valuable to offer. I\u2019ll be there, risking arrest, because I know that this is our best chance to build a democracy that works for\u00a0us<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just like we\u2019re trying to create a democracy that works for all of us, this action is for all of us. We\u2019re joining folks from the labor, racial justice, LGBTQ, economic equality movements and more, because our democracy affects everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

The only thing we need is you.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

My democracy is one in which people\u2019s voices speak louder than corporate money \u2014 what does your democracy look like? Share what democracy means to you at mydemocracyis.tumblr.com<\/a> and on Twitter and Instagram using #mydemocracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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#MyDemocracy<\/a> is one that puts people over profit. What's yours? #DemocracyAwakens<\/a> @DemAwakening pic.twitter.com\/fHbKZy5qUt<\/a><\/p>\n

— Dan Cannon (@DanEnviroCannon) March 23, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n