Dangling From Portland Bridge, Greenpeace Protesters Turn To Reddit

By Bryan M. Vance (OPB)
Portland, Oregon. July 30, 2015 1:20 a.m.
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When you're hanging from a bridge all day, you've a lot of time on your hands.

Greenpeace protesters who spent Wednesday dangling from Portland's St. Johns Bridge in protest of Shell's Arctic drilling efforts put some of their free time to use by answering questions on the social media site reddit.

Thirteen Greenpeace protesters rappelled from the bridge early Wednesday morning to block a Shell icebreaker from leaving its dock and returning to Alaska. The Fennica icebreaker — a key piece of Shell's Arctic oil drilling fleet — arrived in Portland for repairs last week and was scheduled to begin its return voyage to the Arctic on Wednesday.

By the afternoon, the ship called off its plans for the day.

In an "Ask Me Anything" thread on reddit, activists identified as Dan Cannon, Kristina N. Flores and Daniel Hendricks took to their smartphones to answer questions about their efforts. The responses have been condensed and edited for clarity.

On how they expect their protest to stop Arctic drilling efforts:

"There are 13 climbers and we have put lines between each of us. If the ship were to pass, it would be damaged by the lines. The time window for Arctic drilling is short because the environment is so harsh, and if we keep them in Portland that time window could collapse."

On how long the activists think they can keep their protest going:

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"We don't have an answer for how long we're going to be here. The police said they're not going to disrupt our blockade. So as long as we can."

On what the scariest thing about their protest is:

"My greatest fear? My stomach was turning leading up to this. Heights aren't something I have a lot of problems with, but it's still very high. It was something we had to do in the middle of the night in the dark. The anxiety leading up was rough. The first step over the rail was probably the hardest thing."

On protesters' worries of legal repercussions for their actions:

"I have anxiety about having a felony. But our politicians aren't acting, even though the science is clear. These companies are getting away with harming our communities. Someone has to escalate. ... This is something I've dedicated my life to and am extremely passionate about. So if I do get a felony, it'll be something I think that can make a difference. I want to draw the eyes of the world to what Shell is doing."

On why the protestors feel they have the right to break the law to protest:

"I think justice has a lot to do with it. When you're looking at people who are being oppressed for profit, in my opinion that's the wrong type of justice. And maybe we should further explain "oppressed." The fact that this company's extraction of fossil fuels, the sole purpose of Shell, is causing the Arctic to melt at a faster rate is perpetuating the problem and is not an excuse or an invitation to drill for oil. This is a humanitarian crisis. ... If there was an oil spill, food sources for indigenous communities up there (in the Arctic) would be impacted in a huge way. Their livelihood would be impacted. ... This is about the environment, and it's also about people."

On how the activists will protect themselves as temperatures are expected to near 100 degrees later this week:

"We're prepared. We are in long sleeve shirts and pants. We have sunscreen and we use the banners for shade as well. Staying hydrated is important. We brought a lot of water."

On how they're connected to the Internet while hanging from a bridge:

"We have smartphones and battery packs! Don't think asking someone to borrow a charger would help."

On how they're passing their time during the protest:

"To pass the time: People have books, crossword puzzles, social media, sleeping, it was a very late night. Some are doing interviews. Some are getting up and climbing up and down for exercise. Some of us brought journals to doodle or write poetry. There's a lot of different things we have to entertain ourselves."

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