The following content is re-posted from Occupy Well Street
1. So You Think You Can Occupy?
It’s the last straw. The drillers have moved into your neck of the woods, and for a multitude of reasons, you are itching for action to shut the frackers down. Yes, I’m talking about blockading gas drilling sites.
You are in one of two situations:
1. You have a local anti-fracking group, big or small.
2. You are trying to start up an anti-fracking group in your area for Occupy Well Street.
In either case, you’re going to end up presenting the idea of Occupy Well Street to a group.
Hopefully, your community group will support Occupy Well Street and you can get down to planning it. If not, some common resistance you’ll hear are things like:
“The time isn’t right for Occupy Well Street. We should do more letter- writing/lobbying/phone calls to our elected officials.”
“Our organization can’t support any action that could get people arrested.”
“Occupy Well Street will alienate people we’re trying to reach.”
“I don’t support a ban or stop to fracking, I want it to be safe so we can tax the gas. Let’s wait for further studies and regulations to see if it’s really that bad.”
IMPORTANT, the people who say that are not the people you want to be organizing Occupy Well Street with, at least right off the bat. Tip: Encourage them to see our
PA Government and Legal Resources page and fight fracking how they see fit. Respectfully tell them that you are going to organize Occupy Well Street separately. Don’t claim to speak for them as you move forward.
The people who vocally support you when you propose Occupy Well Street should become your core group, so make good friends with them and pick a time and place to have your first Occupy Well Street planning assembly…
Green Is The New Red
