Bill McKibben, the man who organized the ongoing protest against the Keystone XL pipeline, was in the group of arrestees on the first day. They were the only group that has been held overnight so far, and were actually held for an entire weekend before having the charges against them dismissed in court on Monday.
As the person who raised the call for people to come to Washington, engage in non-violent civil disobedience, and risk arrest, it was probably fitting for McKibben himself to be arrested.
Since before I arrived here, I have been thinking about whether I should get arrested myself. I think it would have been an interesting, worthwhile, and powerful experience to express my opposition in that way. At the same time, there is a strategic case for participating as a volunteer rather than an arrestee. To a large extent, the purpose of this action is to draw attention to the Keystone XL pipeline, the arguments against it, and the reasons for opposing oil sands exploitation generally. By volunteering as a photographer and documenting the cycle of each group being trained, taking action, being arrested, and being released, I think I am helping to serve that purpose. Already, images from Tar Sands Action photographers have been used by a wide variety of news organizations.
I am also concerned that getting arrested might keep me from being able to enter the United States in the future. The fight for sensible climate change policies will be a long one, and it will surely involve other important actions in this country, as well as conferences, possible study at American schools, etc.
I hope the answer I gave on the radio, when asked why I was not planning to be arrested, will not excessively put off other Canadians who are considering it. So far, arrested Canadians have been treated just like Americans and released after a few hours and payment of a $100 fine. The charges against them have been very mild, and there is a good chance they will never have any further difficulties because of them.
Perhaps it is selfish of me not to express my opposition as powerfully as possible, or unfair of me to call upon others to take an action I am not taking myself. I applaud those who are choosing to engage in this act of civil disobedience and I hope that they will drive President Obama to think deeply about the ethics of this pipeline and reject it. For my own part, I genuinely believe that I can do more to encourage the emergence of a low- and eventually zero-carbon global society by doing all I can to maintain my ability to travel to the United States in the future. I also think that by volunteering to take photos and generally help out for the 15-day span of this event, I am making a meaningful contribution to its success.
As it is being employed here, civil disobedience is a tactic intended to serve the aim of avoiding dangerous climate change. It is not an action that has moral value in and of itself. I will continue to try and serve that cause using the skills and resources at my disposal.Â
As always, I am happy to discuss my position with those who disagree. People who think I should get arrested still have ten days to convince me, as well as to travel to Washington and take a stand themselves. It would be great to have more people down here to participate in the civil disobedience, as well as to act as supporters and volunteers.