logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

Nonprofit Newswire | Direct Action and BP’s Disaster

Rick Cohen
July 13, 2010
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

 

July 9, 2010; Source: Just Means | In the last couple of months, a new seemingly grassroots nonprofit—Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster—has been formed to ratchet up the pressure on BP and the Obama Administration. The Committee’s commentary on the initial efforts of BP and the Administration doesn’t mince words, describing them as “pathetic” or “squandered.” Its approach is clearly direct action, with members showing up to protest Vice President Biden’s visit in June and a public information meeting of BP and the New Orleans government.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Direct action is all well and good, but to what end? The Committee has a 7-point platform to go with its organizing activities: 1) Stop oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico; 2) Immediately end use of dispersants (due to potential environmental and health impacts); 3) The government and entire oil industry must allocate all necessary resources to stop and clean up the blowout gusher; 4) No punishment to those taking initiative independent of BP and the government to protect the environment and public health—no gag orders on people hired, contracted, or who volunteer; 5) Complete transparency and disclosure of all information and documentation, including scientific and technical data, concerning every aspect of this disaster; 6) Full compensation for all losing livelihood and income from the disaster; and 7) Immediately provide all necessary medical services to those suffering direct and indirect health effects from the oil disaster.

It’s not totally clear who comprises the Emergency Committee: One newspaper report listed C3-Hands off Iberville, Survivors Village, World Can’t Wait, the Lower Algiers Environmental Committee, Pax Christi, and Women United for Social Justice as groups among the original organizers, though the spokesperson seems to be Larry Everest, a writer for Revolution magazine in San Francisco. The Committee’s platform appears coherent and rational, but will community organizing and direct action have any impact on BP—or the Obama Administration?—Rick Cohen

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick Cohen

Rick joined NPQ in 2006, after almost eight years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Before that he played various roles as a community worker and advisor to others doing community work. He also worked in government. Cohen pursued investigative and analytical articles, advocated for increased philanthropic giving and access for disenfranchised constituencies, and promoted increased philanthropic and nonprofit accountability.

More about: Nonprofit News

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

NPQ_Winter_2022Subscribe Today
You might also like
Rebuilding a Cultural Economy: A Story from the Nipmuc Nation
Andre Strongbearheart and Carlos Uriona
“There’s No Such Thing as a Single-Issue Struggle”: A Conversation with Kitana Ananda, Naa Amissah-Hammond, and Quanita Toffie
Kitana Ananda, Naa Amissah-Hammond and Quanita Toffie
Writing New Narratives for Health
Sonia Sarkar
Solidarity on Campus: A Faculty Union’s Learnings from COVID-19
Todd Wolfson
Participatory Grantmaking: What Practitioners Have to Say
Kelley Buhles
Remaking the Economy: Black Food Sovereignty, Community Stories
Pastor Keith Davis, Steve Dubb, Demetrius Hunter, Julian D. Miller, LeeAnn C. Morrissette and Brielle Wright

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
February 23rd, 2 pm ET

Worker Power in the Social Sector

Register Now
Group Created with Sketch.
March 15th, 2 pm ET

Remaking the Economy

Caring for the Care Economy

Register Now
You might also like
AOC’s “Tax the Rich” Dress Dazzles Met Gala, while...
Anastasia Reesa Tomkin
Foundation Giving Numbers for 2020 Show 15 Percent Increase
Steve Dubb
Strike MoMA Imagines Art Museums without Billionaires
Tessa Crisman

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Copyright
  • Careers

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.