Mess left by climate change activists in Anacortes isn’t the first
May 16, 2016, 9:14 AM | Updated: 11:56 am
Trash from a protest over climate change was left scattered along BNSF track. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
Protesters demanding action on climate change in Anacortes over the weekend left quite the mess.
The Anacortes Police Department confirmed the trash along the BNSF track was left behind from the protest held over the weekend, KIRO 7 reports. However, it is unclear if it was left intentionally or on accident.
It’s possible the trash was left behind as law enforcement arrested 52 people, Anacortes Police spokesperson Lou D’Amelia told KIRO 7. But Facebook users say otherwise. One user pointed out on the activist’s Facebook page – Break Free PNW – that the “people on the tracks were given ample time and warning to remove themselves and their garbage…”
Whether it was on purpose or accident is up for speculation. What isn’t left to speculation is that it isn’t the first time people protesting large oil companies have left a mess.
In May of 2015, activists – or kayaktivists – protesting Shell oil and the impacts drilling has on the environment left behind material used to anchor their protest barge in a popular Seattle dive park. “The People’s Platform,” which was parked over the dive park near Seacrest Park, was moved. However, divers later found cement blocks, cables, and chains strewn about the popular spot that octopuses frequent.
