Apr 1, 2019-2019
United States of America
The Railtrack Garden
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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP
Extinction Rebellion
TARGET
Canadian Government
WIDELY HELD BELIEF
That the government should be more concerned about climate change.
CASE NARRATIVE
Issue and Opponent: The Zenith Energy company based in Canada used a Northwest Portland freight railway to carry its oil to the United States, raising safety concerns about a potential spill in the nearby community.
Dilemma Action: Activists from the Extinction Rebellion blocked the railroad by planting a “victory garden” and a scarecrow on top of the tracks. The protestors ignored repeated warnings from authorities to vacate the railway.
Outcome: Protestors were arrested on trespassing charges but later acquitted on a mistrial. They demonstrated that a majority of the community stood by their actions. No major changes to the operation of the railway by Zenith Energy have occurred. Extinction Rebellion is a campaign dedicated to climate action.
PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL
NONVIOLENT TACTICS USED
DA TACTICS USED
Sit-in
CASE NARRATIVE WRITER
SUCCESS METRICS
9 / 12
(MC) Media Coverage
(OR) Opponent response
(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public
(PUN) Punishment favored the activists
(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent
(RF) Dilemma action reduced fear and/or apathy among the activists
(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public
Artivism
Laugtivism
PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN
3 / 3
Activist group continued working together after the action
Encouraged more participants to join the movement
Internally replicated by the same movement
RESOURCES
Project documentation
Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook
Case study documentation
Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset
SOURCES
Bailey Jr., Everton. 2019. “Environmental protesters arrested after blocking NW Portland railroad tracks with garden,” Oregon Live. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2019/04/environmental-protesters-arrested-after-blocking-nw-portland-railroad-tracks-with-garden.html).
Ramakrishnan, Jayati. 2019. “Case against 5 who built garden on train tracks to block oil train ends in mistrial,” Oregon Live. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2020/02/case-against-5-who-built-garden-on-train-tracks-to-block-oil-train-ends-in-mistrial.html).
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