“I left with a smile. I knew that I was a convicted criminal, but I was proud of my crime.” -Martin Luther King, 1956
Today after a four hour jury deliberation, climate activist Tim DeChristopher was found guilty on two felony counts for derailing a Bureau of Land Management auction in December 2008.
Sentencing will most likely be a month or two away.
DeChristopher acted to stop the oil and gas industry from drilling in pristine Utah wilderness near Arches and Canyonlands national parks and to prevent the release of climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions.
Since his act of civil disobedience, DeChristopher has built a strong community and activist group, Peaceful Uprising, in the greater Salt Lake City area which has organized support events, marches, rallies and sing-a-longs in solidarity with him.
The federal government’s strategy has been to single Tim out with a harsh prosecution to intimidate climate activists from taking similar action. The strategy is about to backfire. Tim’s act of civil disobedience has energized the climate movements and will bring more direct action and civil disobedience, not less. We’re just getting started. See you in the streets.
Update: Interview with Tim DeChristopher on the verdict: