Photo By: Betsy Valle
North Portland’s Community Newspaper - Bi-Weekly - PO Box 83068, Port. OR 97283
- Why
503-283-5086
reviewnewspaper@gmail.com WEB: www.stjohnsreview.com
he did it -
An interview with St. Johns Bridge Rappeller #10
This is an Interview with Green-
peace activist, Dan Cannon, 29,
of Washington DC, about his re-
cent Greenpeace action on the St.
Johns Bridge.
My fi rst reaction on Wednesday
morning, July 29, when I learned
that activists were dangling from
the St. Johns Bridge was utter
amusement. It’s a gutsy and novel
way to make a point. Is it a point
that needs to be made?
A
rctic drilling is risky and
Shell does not have a good
track record. Throughout
2012 there were major issues, vi-
olations and equipment failures.
In spite of that and against climate
activists’ advice, the Obama ad-
ministration recently approved the
company’s Arctic drilling permits.
It’s ironic since the melting of the
Arctic has come to symbolize the
acute problems we are facing with
climate warming.
Civil disobedience has a long
and proud, but not particularly
pretty, history locally and in the
greater US. The labor, civil rights,
gay rights and women’s suffrage
movements have been met with
violence, disdain and ugliness.
The popular opinion during all
these movements was, “it would
do no good anyway.” Nonethe-
less, armed only with a sense of
outrage, ingenuity and a will to act
in spite of all odds, activists have
rocked the status quo and instigat-
ed change. Grassroots movements
such as the Greenpeace action
are a proud and important part of
American history.
rappel off the St. Johns Bridge?
A: There’s a lot of reasons. I
have nieces and nephews and
would like to see them inherit
an economy that isn’t relying on
fossil fuels. Shell is a very good
example of how our economy
is bought and paid for by large
corporations. Shell’s infl uence
over policy makers is destructive
to the democratic process. I ask,
“Is it OK?” That’s what triggers
me. The fact that Shell could have
a year where things went wrong
like 2012 when there were multi-
ple equipment failures, safety and
environmental violations during
Arctic drilling—it was a disaster.
Yet the Obama administration ap-
proved permits for more drilling.
#17 AUG 21, 2015
Q: What was it like hanging
from the bridge? How many
hours were you there?
A: We were there 40 hours. I have
a mountaineering background
and climb on the weekends. Hang-
ing for 40 hrs. wasn’t the easiest
thing to do but it was a worthwhile
cause. To say I wasn’t scared at
times would not be true. Setting
up camp takes a lot of effort and
time. While we were hanging, we
had to do things to keep moving.
We put up the streamers so we
could move around. Lowering
ourselves when the Fennica tried
to come through both times was a
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St Johns Review PO Box 83068 Port. OR 97238
Q: What made you decide to
This is a vantage point most people will never have the
opportunity to experience. Greenpeace activist Dan Can-
non saw it for 40 hours in late July in 100 degree temps.
photos of the
St. Johns Bridge
way of moving too.
Q: Did the rappellers allow the
other ships and boats to pass?
A: We absolutely let the other
ships pass through. There was a
pretty tall sailboat and we had to
rise up for. We were only focused
on blocking the Fennica and only
lowered when it tried to pass both
times.
Q: Local authorities claimed
that the rappellers had to be re-
moved for safety. Do you agree?
A: We are professional climb-
ers, so safety is our number one
concern. It’s our priority. I don’t
think we were a safety concern.
The safety of Shell’s profi ts were
what we were more interested in.
Q: Was the hot weather a prob-
lem?
A: We were prepared. We had
long pants and sleeves. We had
sunscreen. The sun was very in-
tense, but there was a constant
breeze over the river. I’m used to
the muggy heat of the east coast
so the dry heat wasn’t so bad.
Q: Could you communicate with
the other rappellers?
A: Yeah. I was climber 10 and
I could yell to climber 11 and
climber 9, who were closest to me.
I stayed in contact with folks via
twitter otherwise.
Q: Would you do it again?
A: Yeah, absolutely.
Q: Do you have anything
else you would like to say to
the people of Portland?
A: All the climbers were very
Send your unique
(and personally taken)
to the Review.
You could win $100.
Cannon was St. Johns Bridge
hanger/protestor #10.
See page two for full details
=====================
515-840
This week’s Masthead
winner was sent in by
Betsy Valle.
This is the way we
should remember
Summer 2015!
appreciative of the support they received
from people at the park. We were very
blown away. We are super grateful.
==============================
To see more photos from Dan’s vantage
point on the bridge, go to danenvirocan-
non on twitter.