The Defenders: Protest Against Pipelines

The Defenders Kickstarter campaign site is HERE.

Thanks to the Daily News-Record and Pete DeLea for covering the preview event. Find the article HERE as published on June 18, 2018.

TheDefenders Poster.600

We face events that call us to action, that stir our deepest emotions.

We are forced to take a stand and Defend our rights to a safe future.

Stand with us in solidarity to The Defenders driving the local pipeline resistance.

Help us fund “The Defenders” – a massive protest sculpture symbolizing their brave resistance to fossil fuel destruction.

Erected in steel, standing 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide, “The Defenders” will make a strong anti-pipeline statement across the Valley.

It will amplify our message of action and protection.

It will inspire and engage more people to join the fight to resist domination by the fossil fuel industry.

As you all know, climate change is upon us and we need to do what we can to ‘build the best and block the bad.’ Fossil fuel infrastructure projects like the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines threaten people’s homes, health, safety, and access to clean water. Ultimately, these proposed projects harm all of us by deepening our region’s dependence on fossil fuels and accelerating climate chaos.

So we, a committee of activists, want to ‘block the bad’ with a strong symbol of resistance: “The Defenders” – a large, moveable, steel sculpture that will stand in defiance along these pipelines’ proposed paths. We have a sculptor team that has agreed to volunteer their time erecting this piece of protest art, and landowners in Augusta, Bath and Nelson Counties who will welcome the piece on their land, close to the proposed pipeline route. (We are also exploring additional display sites).

To pull this off, we need to raise $4,000 to pay for the steel materials. The rest is in place to pull of this act of defiance. We need to act fast to make this statement, as the pipeline plans continue to encroach on our lands and destroy Earth’s balances.

Join us at Pale Fire Brewing Company, 217 S. Liberty St., Harrisonburg, on Sunday, June 17th for The Defenders Preview Night. This event will kick off our fundraising campaign and lead into a month-long Kickstarter campaign that starts the following day. Please help us pull off this act of defiance by supporting us on June 17th and inviting your friends and family to join you.

You will have the chance to preview “The Defenders” model, meet the sculptor team, Mark Schwenk and Cheryl Langlais, and have any questions you may have answered by the campaign organizers — all while enjoying Pale Fire’s great beer selection. We also hope to bring some local food vendors to offer delicious food for purchase on site!

Join the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley in making a strong statement of pipeline resistance in this act of solidarity with the many Defenders who are committed to stopping these projects. Checks and cash donations will be accepted to help us reach our $4,000 fundraising goal. Keep an eye out for the launch of our Kickstarter campaign on June 18th!

Facebook event page HERE.