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Climate Justice (07:42)

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Attorney Tara Houska describes the Alberta Tar Sands. Mining and military operations surround Cold Lake First Nations and Suncor Energy's reclaimed areas. In 2019, climate change protestors blocked Zenith Energy Plant trains in Portland, Oregon; five were charged with criminal trespass.

Colonial Empire and the Columbia: The Treaties (08:52)

U.S. expansion included genocide and the moving of indigenous peoples. Treaties allowed railways to flank the banks of the Columbia River. Bonneville Dam transformed the waterway, flooding sacred sites. Oil transport climate change feedback loops mirror the prior destruction of native lands.

Nch'i-Wána: Blocking the Megaload (08:53)

In 2013, Omega Morgan shipped oil refinery equipment to Alberta Tar Sands, crossing Umatilla Tribe territory. Activist Cathy Sampson Kruse was arrested for attempting to stop the shipment. Her example led to strategic protesting, including students striking during “Fire Drill Fridays.”

Labor Joins the Columbia River Resistance: The Tesoro Oil Terminal Fight (11:11)

At Port of Vancouver, Mosquito Fleet protestors brought pipeline transport to the attention of the International Shoreline and Warehouse Union; the Mosier, Oregon oil train derailment furthered concerns. Citizens elected Don Orange port commissioner, ending the city’s contract with Tesoro.

A Green New Deal (09:38)

Suzie Kassouf discusses how the proposal impacts environment debates and ends jobs. Attorney Direlle Calica explains how Native Americans intend to represent living resources. Activists defend blocking the Zenith oil terminal, utilizing the Necessity Defense in court.

Activist Impacts (05:50)

Mosier and Union Pacific reached a settlement, with the town using funds to upgrade emergency services. Local tribes save Columbia Gorge from oil trains. Zenith terminal protestors receive a mistrial with the state dismissing all charges. In 2021, Portland denied the company’s permit renewal.

Credits: Necessity: Climate Justice & The Thin Green Line (04:40)

Credits: Necessity: Climate Justice & The Thin Green Line

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Necessity: Climate Justice & The Thin Green Line

Part of the Series : Necessity: Climate Resistance through Direct Action

3-Year Streaming

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Description

This film is set along the rivers of Oregon and follows activists as they enlist the necessity defense in a jury trial after being arrested for a direct action at Zenith Energy in Portland. This story of climate resistance in the Pacific Northwest brings into view a historical landscape of tribal leaders, Indigenous activists and white allies as they resist oil trains and trucks carrying highly flammable products through treaty lands. In following the path of oil-by-rail and oil resistance along the Columbia, we revisit lessons of the New Deal era building massive dams and what climate activists take from that era in thinking about a Green New Deal.

Length: 57 minutes

Item#: FMK279810

Closed Captioned