By On March 2nd Emergildo Criollo traveled from his home in the Ecuadorean rainforest to deliver a letter to CEO John Watson from 4 Indigenous nationalities living with Chevron’s pollution in the Amazon. With that letter Emergildo carried a petition with over 325,000 names from over 150 countries, calling on Chevron to clean up its mess in Ecuador. Having traveled from his home Emergildo visited Mr. Watsons home, where there was no answer. He then traveled to Chevron World Headquarters in San Ramon, CA. At the headquarters Emergildo was met, not by John Watson, but by a group of PR consultants.
While these PR representatives were eager to portray Emergildo’s delivery as a productive meeting, Emergildo’s motives were clear. He did not want to hear PR spin, Emergildo wanted to delivery his story, and the story shared by 30,000 Ecuadoreans living in Chevron’s pollution, to CEO John Watson. Mr. Watson refused, and attempted to turn Emergildo’s journey in to a PR opportunity. Emergildo did not meet with John Watson. His words, and his community’s words, for John Watson are below.