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Down To Earth

Tim DeChristopher discusses jail in interview


Another day, another jail story. Another injustice. This is the story of Tim DeChristopher.

Troubled by the American energy policy and its effects on climate change, on Dec. 19, 2008, he broke the law, some would say. He attended a federal auction in Utah, where energy developers were bidding on parcels of Utah wildland that the Bush administration had made available for oil and gas development. DeChristopher bid aggressively, driving up the price of some parcels and winning 14 of his own --22,000 acres total -  to the amount of $1.8 million. There was a catch: He didn't have the money to pay.

On Tuesday, he was sentenced to two years in prison and was promptly taken into custody and he also faces $10,000 in fines. 

Check this video interview from 2010 after the jump where DeChristopher talked about jail. In it, he says activists who have gone to jail for civil disobedience advised him, "When you make a conscious choice that going to prison is worth it, if you go there with a sense of intention, a sense of purpose -- if you can hold on to that sense of purpose, you know that it was your choice to be there, and that makes it a lot easier to do the time."

In a historical sense, social movement doesn't happen without an act of civil disobedience. For many citizens concerned about climate change -- and people who are upset about the lack of action -- that time is now.

DeChristopher on going to prison from Juliana Schatz on Vimeo.



Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.