The Criminalization of Earth Defenders with Paul Paz y Miño & Amy Westervelt (RICO Part 2)

Cocktails & Capitalism

This conversation with Amy Westervelt and Paul Paz y Miño examines and condemns the extreme charges that have been used against Cop City protestors, Steven Donziger, and others for defending people and the planet.

In the first half of the discussion, we talk about Chevron’s brutal legal assault against those who have tried to hold the company accountable for its deliberate pollution of Ecuador, focusing on the use of the RICO Act against Steven Donziger.
We then shift our discussion to the insane domestic terrorism charges for 42 protestors involved in the Stop Cop City movement and potential RICO indictments in the coming days, explaining how these charges are part of a dangerous trend of escalating legal tactics that the state and corporations use to suppress dissent.

Paul Paz y Miño is the associate director of Amazon Watch, an environmental org that works with Indigenous communities in the rainforest. They were listed as a non-party co-conspirator in the RICO case against Donziger.

Amy Westervelt is an investigative climate journalist who hosts a number of amazing podcasts including Drilled, Damages, Rigged, and Hot Take. These shows shine light on the crimes of the fossil fuel industry.

Also discussed:

-The Green Scare
-Standing Rock

-Charges for Standing Rock protestors

-Criminal infrastructure laws

-The Patriot Act

-The legality of these insane charges

-Chilling effects on the climate movement

COCKTAIL PAIRING:

The Forest Defender

2 oz White Rum

½ oz Lime Juice

¼ ozSt. Germain Elderflower

¼ oz Celery Juice

¼ ozSimple Syrup

⅛ tsp Matcha powder

Cucumber wheel

Add all ingredients into a shaker, muddle a cucumber, and shake hard with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a thinly-sliced cucumber wheel.

RESOURCES:

Atlanta Community Press Collective, article on upcoming

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