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Politics & Government

Protesters Out in Force in Atherton, Menlo Park

Nearly every age group, including a five-year-old, was represented.

 

At 8:15 a.m., the stated gathering moment for the Keystone XL Pipeline protest at the corner of the Alameda and Valparaiso, there were a handful of people with umbrellas gathered under a tree near the Menlo Park Fire Station anticipating President Barack Obama's arrival.

Check out live coverage of President Obama's arrival here

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Fifteen minutes later, that number swelled to over 100, all carrying signs pleading President Barack Obama, in town for a fundraiser, to veto the idea of carrying "Tar Sands" oil across the United States to the Gulf of Mexico.

"It's not the same as regular oil," one protester pointed out. "It's really sticky and congeals. It emits a toxic gas when it hits air and if it goes underwater it stays solid. It's harder to refine and more toxic."

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Members of Raging Grannies sent out the notices to gather and they arrived in significant numbers, joined by people of all ages interested in reversing climate change and taking care of the environment.

Banners and signs were waved at passing cars, many of whom honked in support. At one point, all four corners of the intersection were inhabited by protesters.

The police made its presence felt, first urging citizens to confine their protest to Valparaiso, west of the Alameda, and then to ask them to gather behind a barrier on the front lawn of the fire station.

At 8:40 a.m., several highway patrol cars blocked off the intersection as a cavalcade of dignitaries, but not the president, driving south on the Alameda, turned east onto Valparaiso.

The Raging Grannies formed a circle to sing a protest song to the tune of "Home of the Range." Another was passing around a petition advocating for more transparency in campaign donations.

Stanford students representing "Fossil Free Stanford" joined the protesters both as a show of support and a way to advance a grassroots campaign by 350.org to help solve climate change.

The group is working to convince Stanford to divest itself of investments from a list of 200 fossil fuel companies.

Four colleges -- College of the Atlantic, Hampshire College, Sterling College and Unity College -- have divested themselves of fossil fuel companies and many other universities, including California-Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara and Cornell, have passed student government resolutions asking their schools follow suit.

The pipeline was the main topic, though, with opinions openly shared.

"If we're supposed to be working to reduce oil dependency, why does the pipeline go to the coast where it can be loaded onto to ships?" asked one. "We're selling it. If we use it in Illinois, we wouldn't need it to go to the Gulf of Mexico."

A former staff member of the Department of Energy joined the protest.

"I've been pushing this stuff," he said. "But if you see pictures, you'll know it's horrible. If the pipeline breaks it is pretty messy. It can rip up the countryside."

He also insisted that "pipelines do not create very many jobs. But this thing will pass. The plans have been in effect for years. There's too much money involved."

Other signs read:

"Forward in Climate; Stop Keystone Pipeline"

"Stop Dirty Energy"

"Tax Carbon, not our Children's Future"

"I speak for the Trees"

The protest was originally scheduled to take place near the intersection of Walsh Road and Alameda, but the Atherton police informed the organizers could not be there due to the closure of the Alameda between Woodside Road and Walsh Road, where the president was scheduled to stop.

More on Patch:

  • Obama Disrupts Quiet Atherton
  • UPDATED: Obama's Arrival Rallies Keystone XL Pipeline Protesters
  • Watch Out! Obama’s Arrival to Close Streets
  • Obama To Visit Atherton

 

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