More Cars = More Climate Change = More Katrinas

This came over one of the lists so I thought I would post it. I have no idea if our Critical Mass is joining in on this but the theme certainly fits within Critical Mass. (Critical Mass meets on the last Friday of the month at the corner of Redwood and Charles St (one block north of Lombard, near the Charles center metro stop.) Meet around 5pm and ride before 6pm.)

Join the direct action movement for climate protection and...

Join the August 25th Katrina Anniversary Critical Mass!

Last Friday in August: Critical Mass for Climate Justice on Hurricane Katrina Anniversary!

August 25th marks the 1-year anniversary Katrina reaching hurricane strength. In the days that followed the storm would strengthen rapidly over an unnaturally warm Gulf of Mexico, ultimately striking the coast and leaving thousands dead and homeless, victims of an uncaring government, centuries of racism, and an ever more chaotic global climate.

This year, let's take to the streets with a reminder that the tragedy in the Gulf continues and a demand that it never be repeated.

Get ready for a Critical Mass for Climate Justice on August 25th in your town!

Why Critical Mass? Car Culture, Oil, and Environmental Injustice
Critical Mass is a celebration of bike culture, a meaningful alternative to car culture and greenhouse gas generating fossil fuels.

Looking closely, you can see a slick, oily residue connecting the dots of injustice from Colombia to Baghdad to the Gulf Coast.

Along Louisiana's coast, once stunning wetlands are overrun by oil canals and drills. Residents of Louisiana's "Cancer Alley", a corridor of oil refineries and petrochemical plants, suffer the highest cancer rates in the United States. During Hurricane Katrina, black gold flowed from these plants into urban areas, bathing backyards in a petrochemical gumbo.

For the oil industry, demand nothing less than global Climate Justice: the dismantling of decades of racist exploitation, violence and murder, toxic pollution, and denial of oil's role in climate chaos!

Climate Injustice: Katrina is just the beginning As the climate chaos continues to escalate, the killer storms will become ever more frequent, sea levels will keep rising, and climate evacuees will go from thousands of millions. And the enduring racism in our society promises those suffering from these ecological disasters will continue to be the poor and people of color.

Climate change will affect all of us, but it will --and has-- affected some more than others. Combating this social and ecological devastation is the movement for Climate Justice.

Join Us on August 25th!
Rising Tide North America ( www.risingtidenorthamerica.org ), a network of radical climate campaigners (including relief workers from Louisiana to New England) is working with Critical Mass groups around the country on August 25th to draw attention to the movement for climate justice and the important relationship between climate change, catastrophic storms, and environmental racism. The idea is to remind people of the still ongoing crisis in the Gulf and the potential for further catastrophic events from fossil fuel inspired climate change.

We're looking for contacts with critical mass groups who want to collaborate on this, which would basically mean committing to organizing a ride marking the day and hopefully:

1. Organizing a sign making making party for the ride ("More Cars = More Climate Change = More Katrinas", "Critical Mass for Climate Justice", "Katrina was Environmental Racism", etc.).
2. Advertising the event to make it a big critical mass (we're developing designs for flyers, handbills, etc.)
3. Collecting funds at the Critical Mass ride to send to activist and relief groups in New Orleans.
4. Print out educational literature to hand out to people on the street witnessing the Mass (we've got some of this in the works too.)
5. Spreading the word to Critical Mass riders in other cities.

PLEASE contact us if you might be interested!

Below is more information....feel totally encouraged to forward this on to anyone and everyone you know that might be interested. You can write me back or email katrina@risingtidenorthamerica.org for more info. There will be a lot more info at www.risingtidenorthamerica.org really soon as well!

THANKS!

On Friday, August 25th, join Critical Mass riders around the continent and Rising Tide in exposing the oil industry for its role in decades of abuse in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world and illustrate that a world without oil and racist exploitation is possible.

Contact Rising Tide ( Katrina@RisingTideNorthAmerica.org ) and let us know where your ride is going to happen so we can help spread the word about rides around the continent. Spread the word to friends and help us organize this action!

On Rising Tide's website you can find out if there is a ride planned in your area. We've also got flyers, ideas for bike signs, and useful stuff.

Remember: climate change was only a catalyst for the Katrina disaster. Please support and organize other Katrina anniversary events and challenge racism in all of its forms in the Gulf and your own community! Check out Rising Tide's website for more information about Katrina survivor solidarity events, and let us know about other Katrina anniversary and solidarity events in your town. We also encourage everyone participating to take up a collection for ongoing relief and advocacy efforts in the Gulf - check out www.risingtidenorthamerica.org for more details.

Rising Tide North America - working to support and encourage people and grassroots groups in taking action against the causes of climate change. www.risingtidenorthamerica.org Katrina@RisingTideNorthAmerica.org

Critical Mass - a worldwide movement of bicyclers reclaiming the streets. www.critical-mass.org (unofficial website)

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