Major rallies like this were full of joy, hope, and passionate defiance. They showed the power, strength, and size of the movement, and reaffirmed to folks that they were far from alone. And these rallies not only forced Cuomo to confront us in-person — he also had to confront the media coverage and attention that we drove.
The event was turned into a film by Jon Bowermaster titled Dear Gov- ernor Cuomo , which we screened in living rooms and at house parties and fundraisers across the state. We did the same for Gasland , too, to raise awareness about the harms of fracking and the industry’s at- tempts to gloss over them. High-profile media like this was essential to spreading the word about fracking. We Rallied to Bring New Yorkers Together and Show Our Power 4 “To stop anything that has real power behind it — and of course the fossil fuel industry has endless money — you need real demonstra-
tions of people power.” Alex Beauchamp Food & Water Watch Northeast Region Director
Every January, Governor Cuomo gave his “State of the State” address in the aptly named Egg, a concert venue connected to the State Capitol by a long hallway. Before each State of the State, he made his way from the Capitol to the Egg, along with New York lawmakers. This was the perfect opportunity to confront Cuomo. In 2013 and 2014, NYAF mobilized protesters to travel to Albany and fill the concourse, hold- ing signs and demanding that the governor ban fracking. As Alex remem- bers, the shouts of more than 2,000 New Yorkers echoed off the marble floor, creating a din that every lawmaker in New York could hear as they followed Cuomo into the Egg.
Major rallies like this were full of joy, hope, and passionate defiance.
37
People Power vs. Fracking 36
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease