My daughter Ali at the moment of her arrest at the Kinder Morgan tank farm, protesting the Trans Mountain oil pipeline project. March 2018 photo credit: Jimmy Jeong
What follows below is my letter to the editor published in the Kamloops This Week, March 27, 2018
*A YouTube video of Ali’s arrest was also provided to me along with the photo
Protesting and Respecting the Law
I have been reading reactions to the arrests this past week in Burnaby, BC at the gates of the Kinder Morgan tank farm. Those arrested now include two MPs. One of those less famous arrested also happens to be my daughter. These arrests are part of broader opposition to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion: a project to allow for the transport of much more diluted bitumen from the Alberta oil sands for export via tankers and refining in other countries.
Some of the lively conversation about the protests has been about whether it is appropriate to engage in direct action and civil disobedience: a peaceful, non-violent and yet clearly illegal act of protest. In this case, it is refusal to obey an order granted to Kinder Morgan that requires everyone to remain outside a determined zone. Protesters have been arrested for sitting where they are not legally allowed to sit (as this has blocked access for the corporation’s activities in completing the project).
As I’ve listened to the debate and thought about how I feel about this, I’ve re-read a letter that I first read as a young adult. It had a large impact on me and continues to inform me. I was living and studying for a few years in Kentucky and was considering much of what I was seeing of the U.S. experience. The letter* was written by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He wrote it from his jail cell in Birmingham, as he was arrested and held in custody for protesting by marching, which was illegal. Others were arrested in those months for sitting where they were not legally allowed to sit.
He wrote the letter, not to his opponents, but to his moderate supporters who believed he had crossed a line. They criticized him for his arrest and for the illegal direct action of the movement. They wanted him to slow down and to stay on the legal side. King’s response to his supporters sheds light on how we might consider what is happening in BC: at the gates of Kinder Morgan.
“I hope you are able to see the distinction I am trying to point out. In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law… That would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.”
“You may well ask: “Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn’t negotiation a better path?” You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.”
*Dr. King’s full letter is available here
Ali’s activism continues to inform my own engagement. In June, 2018, I’m facilitating a program, ‘The Activist as Mystic‘ at lovely Hollyhock on Cortes, Island, BC. You are invited to join us.
Here is the program description:
A ‘Circle of Trust’ experience based on the work of Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal. Join us for an exploration into our shared ‘blessed unrest’: an informed, mystical, active and loving resistance to the world as it is. In the heart of the mystic and the activist, our response arises from this restless longing for a better world.
In a safe, quiet, nurturing, and confidential environment, we take time for reflection, clarity and insight. We are invited to slow down, listen and reflect in a quiet and focused space. At the same time, we engage in dialogue with others in the circle—a dialogue about things that matter. As this “sorting and sifting” goes on, and we are able to clarify and affirm our truth in the presence of others, that truth is more likely to overflow into our work and lives. Guided by core principles and practices, which include the belief that everyone has an inner teacher, an inner source of truth, we engage in contemplative practices to support personal and societal transformation.
Dan Hines is Courage & Renewal® Facilitator mentored by Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal. He is a political activist, change agent, Anglican priest, speaker, consultant for intentional communities and leadership coach for business, educational, and religious organizations.