POST-RALLY UPDATE:

About 50 people and a good chunk of media came out. The sun was blazing hot, the speakers were blazing hot, and our message was clear: STOP COREXIT NOW, SAFETY FOR CLEANUP WORKERS NOW. Looking ahead, will we stage our next rally in the middle of a weekday? Mmmmaybe not. But for now, thanks to all who attended, thanks to our speakers, and thanks to our co-organizer for this event, the Southeast Louisiana Shrimp Alliance.

Check out a partial list of speakers, some health facts on the toxicity of Corexit and BP oil, and media coverage of the protest.

Rally to demand the government IMMEDIATELY END BP’s use of the toxic dispersant COREXIT and provide safety equipment, training and oversight for cleanup workers! Tuesday, June 15 at 12pm on the steps of Louisiana’s State Capitol Building (900 N 3rd St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802) !

MORE INFO:
FLYER: Get Henry’s latest heartbreaking flyer in Printable PDF or JPEG (image) formats. Please print up as many as you’d like, and post them everywhere.

Read our latest PRESS RELEASE (also below)

- Please join our VERY active Murdered Gulf Facebook Group
- RSVP & invite others at our Corexit Protest Facebook Event page
- E-mail us at murderedgulf@gmail.com

Click for full-sized flyer

GULF COAST RESIDENTS RALLY TO STOP “COREXIT” AND DEMAND CLEANUP WORKER SAFETY

On the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol Building – Tuesday, June 15, 12pm

Why is the government letting BP poison us?

According to congressional testimony by chemist Wilma Subra, BP continues to use the dispersant Corexit 9527A. This dispersant, dumped into the air and water of the Gulf coast by the millions of gallons, contains 30-60% 2-Butoxyethanol, which the National Institute of Health says causes birth defects and testicular damage.

On May 24th, the U.S. Government’s Environmental Protection Agency ordered BP to discontinue using this toxic, mutagenic chemical. BP has ignored their ruling, without consequence.

This failure of the EPA to protect the lives of Gulf Coast residents is part of a larger pattern seen across multiple federal agencies.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, has issued detailed directives regarding cleanup worker training and use of protective equipment. BP has ignored OSHA as well.

Little to no OSHA oversight of cleanup exists. Cleanup workers interviewed aren’t even aware OSHA exists. BP and its subcontractors have failed to provide legally required respirators to workers exposed to the deadly toxic stew of BP crude oil and dispersants. Fishermen who attempted to wear respirators while working were threatened with firing. Many workers are using bare hands and no masks whatsoever while handling oily skimmers and pads.

On Tuesday, we are going to the State Capitol building to ask our legislators at the state level: Do you stand with us? Will you stand up for us and demand that Washington DC do its job? Will you demand an IMMEDIATE HALT to the use of Corexit, and IMMEDIATE and COMPREHENSIVE provision of safety equipment, training and oversight for our cleanup workers?

People of the coast, please come join fishermen, shrimpers, cleanup workers and all your Gulf Coast friends and neighbors this Tuesday at noon on the Capitol Building steps. If you don’t drive, the LA Swift is only six bucks. Take a stand, for the health and futures of us all.

Corexit adds insult to deadly injury. Why is the government letting BP poison us?

WHERE: The steps of Louisiana’s State Capitol Building (900 N 3rd St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802)

WHEN: Tuesday, June 15 at 12pm

MORE INFO:
Web: http://murderedgulf.wordpress.com
Facebook Group: http://tiny.cc/murderedgulf
Facebook Event: http://tiny.cc/june15
E-mail: murderedgulf@gmail.com

ORGANIZER INFO:
This event is being organized by Murdered Gulf, an ad hoc group of pissed-off Gulf Coast residents. Murdered Gulf was formed in response to the BP oil flood and the U.S. Federal Government’s cowardly failure to respond, assist, or enforce existing laws regarding the destruction of the Gulf Coast. We are unsalaried and unsponsored. While we welcome any and all individual support and are always looking to work with like-minded groups towards common goals, we are not affiliated with any political action committee, political party, political candidates or corrupt paid-off “environmental” non-profits.

Murdered Gulf previously organized the largest oil flood protest anywhere to date. Details on that as well as our list of demands can be found on the Murdered Gulf website, http://murderedgulf.wordpress.com

Fishermen, shrimpers, National Guardsmen assigned to cleanup, toxicity experts, anarchist philosophers, water-quality monitors, entertainers, spiritual leaders, activists, and plain old everyday folks (which in New Orleans encompasses all of the above) got to sound off to each other, the press, and any so-called national “leadership” who might deign to listen.

Photo by Editor B, used under Creative Commons.

Let this be the beginning, folks. Let this be a pebble in what becomes an avalanche of unignorable outrage. Moving forward, Murdered Gulf is focused on spreading awareness of other grassroots actions and direct volunteer opportunities. If you’d like us to e-mail you when we hear of either a new volunteer opportunity or an upcoming local action, please sign up for our announcement list by sending an e-mail to murderedgulf+subscribe@googlegroups.com. We won’t spam you, promise.

Dr. John lets it rip at the rally. Photo by infrogmation, used under Creative Commons

It was a great rally, additionally blessed with some wonderful surprise speakers including Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc and the immortal Dr. John himself. You can check up on our updated list of speakers or peruse & add to our collection of press coverage the rally received.

This cataclysm is getting worse, not better. You know this, we know this. Sunday’s rally was put together primarily by a couple people with full-time jobs, in 6 days.

We had a TON of help from our friends as well as from new friends who came out of the woodwork to make this possible, but YOU are why Sunday’s rally happened. It was you who took this opportunity and ran with it, you who costumed and made brilliant signs and came out in the rain… you who promoted this and attended this because you had your priorities straight and understood the magnitude of the crisis.

Now it’s your turn to inspire, your turn to lead something bigger, bolder, and hopefully slightly more creative.  It’s your time to lead. Please step up, for the sake of the Gulf.  We’ll help.

You can reach us at murderedgulf@gmail.com or via the comments.

Washington Artillery Park, across Decatur from Jackson Square. Click for larger version!

We are gathering Sunday, May 30 at 1 pm at the AMPHITHEATER aka “Washington Artillery Park”– the performance space that’s a big curved set of steps across Decatur St. from Jackson Square, next to Cafe Du Monde– to demand immediate, aggressive intervention by the government to STOP THE BP OIL FLOOD. Not soon, not later, not eventually, IMMEDIATELY! The government MUST TAKE ACTION!

People are angry, and have every reason to be, but this is a peaceful protest. If you feel you cannot abide by that for whatever reason, please stay away.

This event is being put together by a handful pissed-off New Orleanians determined to force full government and corporate accountability to the people of the Gulf Coast. We are not a political action committee or affiliated with any political party, business interest or candidates although we absolutely WELCOME and INVITE all groups, organizations and individuals to attend.

Chief Organizer Henry Thomas

PLEASE spread the word… come and bring as many as you can!

UPDATE: Due to overwhelming demand, we present for all interested parties the rally’s chief organizer, New Orleans’ own Mr. Henry Thomas. When you see this shining face on Sunday, you will know you are in the right place.

We will have legal observers on-hand to deal with any police problems (although we don’t expect any).

There will also be speakers and media present.

For more info you can
contact: BPoilflood@gmail.com OR murderedgulf@gmail.com

THANK YOU
SEE YOU THERE!!!!

For more information, please check out Our press release, our list of demands, and an article from the Mobile Press Register discussing how the BP Oil Flood kills communities, and our flyer & facebook links.

This is a PEACEFUL PROTEST. If you feel you can’t abide by that, please don’t attend…