Greenpeace protesters taken into custody after rappelling from Fred Hartman bridge

Eleven Greenpeace USA protesters are dangling from the northbound of the Fred Hartman Bridge to protest against the oil industry on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Baytown. Another 11 spotter for those protesters are sitting on the bridge. Protestors said they are intending to protest for 24 hours. less Eleven Greenpeace USA protesters are dangling from the northbound of the Fred Hartman Bridge to protest against the oil industry on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019, in Baytown. Another 11 spotter for those protesters ... more Photo: Yi-Chin Lee/Staff Photographer Photo: Yi-Chin Lee/Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Greenpeace protesters taken into custody after rappelling from Fred Hartman bridge 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Protesters with Greenpeace USA were taken into custody Thursday after they closed a portion of the Houston Ship Channel by rappelling from the Fred Hartman Bridge ahead of the Democratic debate here tonight.

Harris County Sheriff's Office officials said early Thursday they would allow the demonstration to continue as planned until Friday morning, barring any medical emergencies. However, 15 demonstrators were taken into custody as of late Thursday afternoon, said Greenpeace spokeswoman Valentina Stackl.

She did not know the possible charges. Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies started taking people into custody around 5 p.m. and were preparing to rappel down to make contact with the protesters, according to several tweets from the office. Their goal is to bring them to boats waiting nearby.

Authorities did not plan to shut down the bridge completely, adding that drivers should use alternate routes. Navarre said law enforcement had no knowledge about the "extremely dangerous" planned demonstration.

When asked if the demonstration was protected under the First Amendment, Navarre did not give a straight answer.

"They have lawyers, and so do we," Navarre said. "I'm not one of them."

He did say that the group of 22 protesters and possibly more Greenpeace USA members involved could face state-level charges for at least blocking some lanes on the bridge and for impeding the Houston Ship Channel. Detectives are also working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to determine if federal charges are warranted.

Ric Campo, Chairman, Port of Houston Authority, reacted in the following way:

"Americans have a right to protest, as long as it's peaceful and lawful. Obviously, the protests going on right now are not peaceful and lawful. They blocked the freeway. There was an accident that caused injuries to people on the bridge.

"We have first responders in the water right now, lots of them. They're risking their lives to make sure that those folks are safe. At the end of the day, I'm fine with people protesting whatever they want as long as it's peaceful and lawful."

Campo hypothesized that protesters probably came to Houston aboard airplanes using jet fuel or drove in vans using gasoline or diesel. Campo was invited to attend the Democratic Party presidential candidate debate Thursday night in Houston but will not attend.

Jim Teague, CEO, Enterprise Products Partners LP, made this observation: "Here's the interesting thing. I looked at the pictures and I think that every bit of their protective clothing is made out of hydrocarbons. The hypocrisy of that is unbelievable." Teague was not invited to the debate.

Enterprise Products is one of the largest firms operating at the port and they are the largest exporter of crude oil and natural gas liquids in the United States.

Protesters arrived at the bridge around 6:20 a.m. and stopped on the shoulder of the bridge, which caused a rear-end crash that sent one person to the hospital, authorities said. Around the same time the police got the call for the crash, deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office tasked with monitoring video feeds of the bridge spotted the protesters preparing for their descent.

Capt. Bill Diehl, president of the Greater Houston Port Bureau trade organization, said shutting down the waterway for a short period of time like one day "is not going to put us in any position that we can't recover quickly from."

The port has tanks filled with the products needed to keep plants and refineries operational. Waterway closures typically only become an issue if the shutdown lasts for a prolonged period of time and facilities start running low on feedstock.

Diehl said port stakeholders will have a phone call in the morning to discuss the situation and, if needed, prioritize which ships get to move first. They could also keep it as the normal procedure: first come, first served.

On Thursday when the first-arriving deputies with the Harris County Precinct 8 Constable's Office arrived to investigate the crash, protesters were already hanging off bridge deck.

Navarre said they could also face charges for the crash.

Greenpeace USA spokesperson Ryan Schleeter, interviewed at the Bayland Marina on the Baytown side of the bridge, said protesters were hoping to get the attention of the 10 Democratic presidential candidates in Houston on Thursday night for the third Democrat National Committee presidential debate.

Schleeter appeared excited at the prospect of candidates mentioning the Fred Hartman Bridge protest during the televised debate Thursday evening but urged that to the activists, actions speak louder than words.

"Acknowledgment is great, and words are great, but what we really need is action," Schleeter said. "We know our next president has the chance to lay the groundwork for a world without fossil fuels, and we need to see that in their climate platform."

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Greenpeace USA activist Irene Kim, one of the 22 climbers blocking the Houston Ship Channel, said she was participating "because we are in the middle of a climate emergency."

"I want to show people that we have power to pressure our politicians and change our system," Kim said. "We know there's a better world out there, but we have to demand it. It's a privilege to be able to do this action."

A portion of the Houston Ship Channel -- about half a mile in distance -- is closed due to the protesters, said United States Coast Guard Petty Officer Johanna Strickland. A 29-foot Coast Guard response boat was also launched to the scene Thursday morning to monitor the situation, a news release said.

As of 11 a.m., seven ships were blocked from transiting that portion of the ship channel, where on average, 300 vessels pass, she said, adding that most of the traffic is smaller towing vessels.

The demonstration comes ahead of the Democratic debate scheduled for Thursday night at Texas Southern University, where 10 Democratic presidential hopefuls take center stage to speak to voters.

Greenpeace USA said activists plan to demonstrate for the next 24 hours to illustrate what would happen without oil, Greenpeace USA spokesperson Valentina Stackl said.

"The Ship Channel is one of the biggest exporters of oil," Stackl said. "About 700,000 barrels of oil come through here."

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In a tweet, protesters said they were "blocking the largest oil export channel in the country to confront the oil industry."

Traffic in the area was slow due to the demonstration as of Thursday afternoon, according to Houston TranStar.

The Houston Ship Channel is the busiest channel in the country, surpassing New York/New Jersey, Long Beach, California and Los Angeles combined, said Port of Houston spokeswoman Lisa Ashley.

It generates $802 billion in economic value to the United States economy and provides for 3.2 million jobs to the country, she said. In Texas, the port generates about $339 billion and provides 1.35 million jobs in the state, she said.

The impact of the protest is "not going to be devastating," she said, adding that the schedules of vessels moving through ship channel allows for interruptions.

"When you're talking about ships, they are transiting for months, weeks at a time," Ashley said. "There are ebbs and flows in that schedule. A day here or there is already factored into the structure of planning."

She also said port officials "respect the value of free speech, as long as it's peaceful and legal."

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Michelle Iracheta is a digital reporter in Houston. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | michelle.iracheta@chron.com