Claire Bernish

June 8, 2015

(ANTIMEDIA) Denton, Texas might not ring a bell immediately, but this city of just over 100,000, located north of Dallas, actually has a bit of an international reputation for being the “little city that could.” In taking a stand against overwhelming odds in a state that lives and breathes the oil and gas industry, Denton managed to ban all fracking—but their hard-fought victory was short-lived.

Governor Greg Abbott sided with industry over the health, welfare, and will of the people by scrambling to pass legislation that bans fracking bans. Denton, to him, had gone too far.

So what happened next? Almost immediately, Vantage Energy decided, in an act of hubris, to prove the industry’s clout and resume fracking in Denton last Monday.

But the people have had enough of fracking and having their legitimate concerns ignored—and a few decided to act on one of the only avenues now available—they blocked the entrance to the drilling site.

University of North Texas environmental philosophy professor and president of the Denton Drilling Awareness Group (DAG), Adam Briggle, whose classes have been interwoven with lessons on the value of civil disobedience for years, put that philosophy to the test. Together with DAG vice president Tara Hunter and resident Nicole Chochrek, an agreement was made ahead of the sit-in that they would stay in place, no matter what—even if they had to be carted away in handcuffs—because fracking, to them and to the people of Denton, represents money and industry over the common good. What happened when they were arrested?

In a show of lamentably uncommon good faith, the police officer who arrested Briggle shook his hand before placing him in cuffs. “Before he arrested me he wanted to shake my hand in gratitude,” said Briggle. The beauty of a city bound by a wholly unwelcome state law became even more clear as the three were released from jail. They did not have to post bail—and never will—as long as they show up for their day in court.

Inspired by the first group’s efforts to prevent drilling, Elida Tamez followed suit the next day, saying, “It takes a hell of a lot to get me off my couch but this did. It was just too much, so I decided to stand there over the cattle guard and not let any trucks in.” And then other activists joined her. And then more, until she and two others were hauled off to jail.

Protester Jonathan Adams explained the reason for the blockade to a local NBC affiliate: “We feel like this company and several other companies have been breaking the law for a very long time in Denton. Whether it’s been dumping chemicals into creeks or violating setbacks that were in place, and we feel like the police have just not enforced that here. At most they receive a slap on the wrist, and when people are here protecting their community stopping a truck from going to work, and continuing this devastating process known as fracking. We just see it as people taking justice into their own hands.”

But they experienced the same cordial gratitude the first arrestees had, so Tamez developed a theory: “I think that they’re decent human beings, and I also think that they must be aware that they are essentially enforcing trespassing laws against citizens who are trying to enforce a ban that was passed by us, so I think that they might recognize the double standard here.”

Several states have now banned fracking bans in a crude display, attempting to hamper people’s already limited resources for taking a stand against fracking — a practice that only the industry itself seems to want.

As Adams said, “The industry and the state have been working together to force fracking on this community. We don’t want it here.”

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