On the 20th of OCtober, Occupy DC showed up at Union Station and disrupted a $1000 a plate fundraiser for “Conservation International” a fake environmental groups that has done greenwashing work for such clients as BP. The fundraiser starred the CEOs of both Wal-Mart and Northrup-Grumman.
Harrison Ford of Star Wars fame was also present, flying for the Empire by helping a fake greenwashing nonprofit whose client list includes neighborhood-busting Wal-Mart, oil-spilling BP, Nigerian activist executing Shell, and the infamous seed patent/GMO giant Monsanto. His presence led to the Millienum Falcon signs used in the protest, representing a ship he would have shot at from a Star Destroyer if his Star Wars character properly reflected his economic behavior today.
From the Occupy DC website:
“Its hard to imagine two corporate heads who better exemplify what’s wrong with the economy. Walmart has trampled worker’s rights across the country and across the globe. Northrup Grumman is the 4th largest military contractor in the world, fed off our tax dollars to enrich themselves off the suffering of the global 99% . Occupy DC will continue to call out the 1%’s hijacking the planet and it’s people for it own enrichment.”
Wal-Mart is extremely unpopular in DC, reviled by many for their ongoing attempts to muscle their way into DC (and now Rockville and Aspen Hill in MD as well). Northrup-Grumman is a war contractor whose billions are built on blood.
They should not have thought they could get away with renting Union Station for their “private event,” especially with two protest encampments set up just 4 and 5 stops away on the Red Line in within easy marching range as well.
Shortly after 7 PM, shouts of “Mike check” rang out in Union Station’s high halls, and a bunched set of balloons was released. While eyes followed the first balloons, a second set of balloons was released-this time towing a banner to the highest part of the arched ceiling.
For over half an hour drums boomed and a shouting crowd filled the east end of the hall, just outside the red doors of the exclusive private dinner with the $1000 plates, the Greenwash “charity” and the CEO’s of Wal-Mart and Northrup-Grumman. The noise carried almost equally to all parts of the station it seemed, so a lot of the “one percenters” at the dinner paid $1000 for at least a half hour’s worth of indigestion and heartburn. Serves them right-giving money to the pigs that helped BP greenwash their image should have been heartburn enough.
Union Station security did exactly nothing to remove the protesters, though a LOT of undercover cops were around as well as well over a dozen uniformed cops. Finally, everyone marched away in victory, then proceeding to march in triumph through the streets all the way back to McPherson Square.
Returning by the Metro, the way most people arrived, would have been a suicidal risk after such a major disruption at the station, after all! Instead everyone got to celebrate a clean victory that would have been extremely messy in a place like New York City with a good old-fashoned, night march that looked like something IMF protesters would do.
DC Direct Action News 