More Solidarity Actions Against I-69 in Michigan, New York, and Indiana

The approach of construction and the eviction of the tree-sit have unleashed a wave of solidarity actions against I-69 across the region and beyond. Whether close or far, these actions seem to convey similar things: that people everywhere recognize how destructive I-69 will be to their lives and to the lives of people in Indiana, that the two decade long struggle against the road by farmers and diverse community members is inspiring and merits solidarity,and that the repression of this struggle will not be tolerated. Here are reports from Michigan, New York, and Indiana. More Solidarity Actions Against I-69 in Michigan, New York, and Indiana

(****Roadblock Earth First! does not condone nor condemn any action taken by any autonomous group against I-69; we just want this highway to be stopped. The language in this message is a product of its authors, not necessarily the position of RbEF!****)

The approach of construction and the eviction of the tree-sit have unleashed a wave of solidarity actions against I-69 across the region and beyond. Whether close or far, these actions seem to convey similar things: that people everywhere recognize how destructive I-69 will be to their lives and to the lives of people in Indiana, that the two decade long struggle against the road by farmers and diverse community members is inspiring and merits solidarity,and that the repression of this struggle will not be tolerated. Here are reports from Michigan, New York, and Indiana.

From Michigan:
Press Release for Friday June 27th, 2008 from Kalamazoo residents opposed to I-69

We are everywhere.

On Monday, June 23rd at 1:30 PM the Kalamazoo residents opposed to I-69 visited the DLZ Corporation in Kalamazoo for an office demonstration. They entered the building prepared to read a statement but were instantly harassed by an employee. He screamed obscenities, shoved the woman reading the prepared statement, and insisted that there was no office manageror anyone to discuss the impact of I-69 with. The Kalamazoo residents opposed to I-69marched through the office with drums and whistles and exited the building.

The office seemed to instantly be aware that they were being protested. They did not want totalk or hear a word of what the residents had to say. The following letter was left on several desks and at the main desk.

Dear Kalamazoo Neighbors,

We are writing to inform you of something that is of great importance. Though you maybe unaware of this, your current place of employment, DLZ is in league with some very dark and disturbing things that are happening to the world we live in. You might be aware of the fact that DLZ is one of many companies that is helping in the formation of highway development in Indiana, the extension of Interstate-69. Now though this may seem to be ”Business as Usual”or “Just another development in a long line”, this particular project is so much worse.

Interstate-69 is part of a massive undertaking that is spreading across states, countries, and indeed continents. It has been talked about for decades and gone under many different names. The NAFTA Super Highway, the North American Corridor, and Plan Puebla Panama are only a few.This expressway is a small part in the globalization of our world. To explain this further, jobs here at home are being moved across borders, and the products of which will be shipped here,via I-69, to those currently unemployed. These jobs of course are going to be exploiting the global South. Not only will this further harm some of the most super-exploited people on Earth,but miles upon miles of forests, wetlands, farms, and homes will be destroyed and/or displaced from the construction of this expressway. Between jobs going over borders, products shipped in, farms being destroyed and the utter destruction of the natural world here at home and abroad, it seems obvious to those of us in Kalamazoo that the completion of this expressway is an atrocious, repugnant act. It is opposedby those in it’s line of destruction, those in other countries, and now by us in Kalamazoo.

It is with this in mind that we write you. We want you
to be aware of the fact that what DLZ is doing is wrong and under the watch of people throughout the country, and the world at large. Rather than just bear witness to this injustice, we demand that this project be stopped and that it be discarded. We stand in Solidarity with our brothers and sisters who will lose jobs because of this. We stand in Solidarity with those whose homes are being destroyed. We stand in Solidarity with those who are being exploited in Central and South America. We stand in Solidarity with the farmers who will now be putting down their tools and who will be left in the gutters of development because of the actions of DLZ.

We as residents of Kalamazoo, as friends, as neighbors, and acquaintances of yours demand that YOU stop this highway.

Sincerely,
And in Solidarity with those oppressed,
The Residents of Kalamazoo Opposed to I-69

*****

From New York:

On the morning of Tuesday June 24, employees of HNTB arrived at their Hicksville, NY office to find the building defaced with spray paint. DEAL WITH I-69 DEAL WITH US was written across the front of the building. When they went to the front door, the lock was glued and the door was covered in paint. They walked around to the back and the back doors were glued too. Other slogans were painted on the sides of the building and all the windows were covered in paint. They called the locksmith to break in for them and then called the cleaning people. The cleaning crew told them there was nothing they could do about the windows, the paint was etched into the glass.

HNTB then removed the address of the Hicksville office (40 Commerce Pl) from their website.

*****

On Tuesday, June 24th in Evansville, Indiana, the resistance continued to grow in the fight against the capitalist wet dream called I-69. We visited the office of Bernardin- Lockmueller and Associates (BLA), who are responsible for planning the entire supposed route for the interstate. Seeing as they’ve been targeted before, we attempted to enter with a nicely dressed decoy. However, their fear took hold of them and they immediately pushed our comrade out and locked the doors. So we banged on windows, and shouted at them through the intercom. In the commotion a window was smashed. Which is nothing compared to the destruction that I-69 will cause, but perhaps gave our enemy a taste of the terror they force daily on the earth.

To the terrorists at BLA:
We know you’ve been targeted in the past, but since construction has recently begun- expect more chaos and aggression directed at your company and the workers that make what you do possible. Next time maybe we’ll pay your homes a visit,because we know where you live and we know what you do. As I-69 continues its development, so does our anger and dedication to standing in your way. Our numbers are constantly growing. We will not let you build your road. We must stop allowing the destructive forces of capitalism and civilization to ruin our lives, our communities, and this earth. Let this be a call for others to take action against this highway which not only effects Indiana, but the entire continents of North, Central, and South America. Those of us who have the privilege of being North American must use our privilege to fight for a world where the Global South is no longer exploited by capitalism.