Chevron Picket Report Back
This past Wednesday, June 11, at least 35 protesters took to the streets to picket the Trosper Rd Chevron in Tumwater. For an hour and a half, business at Chevron slowed to a trickle. Supportive fists and honks from passing cars boosted the crowd's energy. A reporter from The Olympian covered the picket in an online article that you can read here. Spirits were high and the momentum of the day will be carried onto the next picket on Wednesday, June 25 at the same time and place: 5pm-6:30pm at 670 Trosper Rd SW, Tumwater, WA, 98512.
Hostile reactions from passers by were minimal and the police did not visibly show up. The lack of antagonism from the police or others meant that the picket was able to stay peaceful. The crowd was large enough to fill the sidewalk and safely block one entrance to the gas station. The heavily trafficked intersection remained busy during the entire picket. Thousands of cars passed the picket in a region that has not yet seen public action in support of Palestinian resistance.
As Olympians made the trek to DuPont on May 21 for global anti-Chevron day, Tacomans joined us in Tumwater on Wednesday. Plans to coordinate further regional action between Olympia, Tacoma, and beyond continue to develop. For now, the regional Boycott Chevron movement can build on the success of the first Tumwater picket. In the wake of Israel striking Iran, it is more important than ever to ramp-up resistance to the US-Israeli war machine and stop Chevron and the US government from backing Israel’s expanding military offensive against Palestine and its neighbors.
