I was out of town when I got a phone call from Brock Howell of Environment Oregon who was in the middle of this protest at the time. Too bad I wasn’t able to record the audio. I could hear lots of cars in the background – honking in solidarity with the protesters. It was something to hear, if not seen.
EO, Sierra Club and Climate Solutions put this together at a gas station that sells BP petroleum products.
Yes, there really was a nearly naked PETA protestor painted to look like Mother Earth.
There was also a woman dressed up as a polar bear trying to convince me the species wasn’t in trouble.
The rallies were peaceful. Though I did see one man being arrested. “You broke the law when you made contact with him,” I heard the police officer scold him. “But he was in my face yelling at me,” the arrested man protested. I felt sorry for the guy. He was led away in handcuffs.
If you only went by who rounded up the most supporters, then the night belonged to the Gore protestors. I’d guess a few hundred people came to the Americans For Prosperity rally next to Keller fountain. They obviously had been preparing for some time. One of the speakers mentioned something about a bus and car caravan coming down from the Puget Sound area.
There were only a few dozen Gore supporters, not too surprising considering environmental groups only heard about the protest plans the day before.
But it wasn’t until I began to walk around that I noticed something really important. Despite the rhetoric, despite the chants, people were talking to each other. Small groups – maybe a dozen or so by my count – of Gore supporters and protestors talking to each other, discussing the issues, trying to make sense of it all. They were passionate, intelligent, knowledgeable and above all, respectful to the those they disagreed with.
Things turned kind of stupid when the Americans For Prosperity Rally broke up and the protestors walked Keller Auditorium chanting, “Gore Lies!” This was followed by some yelling back and forth across SW 3rd Ave. None of it was very illuminating.
But those small person-to-person conversations continued. I’m not sure any minds were changed. But was good to see that despite the strong feelings on both sides, ordinary Oregonians were still taking part in an important conversation about climate change, global warming and how we move forward.
At least two more groups are calling for protests outside Keller Auditorium, the stage for tonight’s public lecture by former Vice President Al Gore.
Joining the anti-Gore protests will be Americans For Prosperity, a group that opposes cap-and-trade legislation. In their view, it’s an unaffordable tax on energy. The group’s President Tim Phillips will be speaking at the Keller Fountain about 5:30pm.
That’s in addition to the protest already planned by MoveOnDotGore. This group will gather outside Keller about the same time and their agenda appears very similar to Americans For Prosperity, against cap-and-trade and doubters on climate change.
Plus, according to Willamette Week, PETA plans a third protest. They want Gore to stop eating meat and prove his “green” credentials.
The Oregonian reports this morning that someone vandalized Keller Auditorium with anti-Gore graffiti.
Meanwhile environmental groups are rallying supporters to put on a counter demonstration. Repower America, Climate Solutions and Oregon Environmental Council are all spreading the word to gather outside Keller starting about 5:30pm. Get more information here.
So, PETA is promising a “nearly” naked Mother Earth, and MoveOnDotGore is asking people to show up in polar bear costumes. Could be quite show. The best seats for tonight may be outside of Keller.
But on a serious note, no matter how you feel about Gore, climate change and cap-and-trade, this is an excellent opportunity to show up and be heard. With the United Nations Climate Change conference starting in less than three weeks, this issue will dominate the headlines for some time to come.
