Signs of Protest and Roger J Wendell

www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM
Line

Signs of Protest

Me helping to protect Prairie Dogs near Parker, Colorado...

Over the years I've participated in a number of protests ranging from Rainforest beef and Two Forks Dam, to Stock Show animal rights, unwanted beltways and logging campaigns (I also joined some war protests against Gulf games I and II...). It wasn't until March of '07, when I noticed a number of protest signs against gold mining in La Plata Canyon (Colorado), that it occured to me to create a page preserving many of the protest signs I've seen. So, as time permits I'll fill this page with the numerous signs I and others have photographed over the years...

Oh, for clarification I want to make it clear that just because a sign, note, link or other reference is added to this page it doesn't necesarrily mean that I'm in agreement with the campgain in question! I just happen to love our Constitution (and Bill of Rights) and am especially fond of people willing to take a public stand* for what they believe in. Remember, the 1st Amendmant promises that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

*I do take a strong stand against protestors who try to block or disrupt the free speech of others. This seemed to be a growing problem in 2015 and 2016 with organized groups (Black Lives Matter, anti-Trump activists, and the like) intentially blocking candidates and others from public speech and assembly.

Also, click Here for my page on activists...

click Here for my page on Prairie Dogs and Protests!

click Here for Signs of All Kinds page...

Click on any "thumbnail" image for a larger view!

In 2019 China began stripping the citizens of Hong Kong their freedom and liberty. Protests, sometimes violent, continued through the summer.

Robert "LaVoy" Finicum

Jessica Fauth Edgar is the niece of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum. 54-Year-old LaVoy Finicum of northern Arizona, himself, was the frequent spokesman for the surprise takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that began January 2, 2016, outside Burns, Oregon. The occupiers - fluctuating from 20 to perhaps 40 at the peak - said they were protesting the imprisonment of two local ranchers and federal ownership of land. Finicum died a little after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 when Oregon State Police troopers shot him after he drove away from a traffic stop, hit a snowbank and then got out of his late-model Dodge Ram pickup. Jessica organized this protest and also spoke to me for my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/0Q5WijEzmcI

Ganges River Protest

In late '08 Tami and I visited India and were able to "float" Ganga Ma (River Ganges Mother) a few times. Although the Ganges, especially at Varanasi where we were, is very sacred it's also very polluted - lots of industrial waste, human waste, and various decaying bodies (cow, priests, pregnant women and children aren't usually cremated - they're waited-down and thrown in the river) float down its length. So, while we were there, GreenPeace happened to be there as well to protest the conditions. But, I want to make it clear this note isn't just an indictment against Ganga Ma - the rivers in my own country, and most other countries around the world are polluted beyond belief!

Women in Black

Each Saturday, since the war began, these women have been holding a silent vigil in front of Colorado Mills (our local shopping mall in Golden, Colorado) every Saturday afternoon. Since I don't go to the Mall very much I didn't see their demonstration until a snowy Saturday afternoon on April 26th. Actually, I was heading to the mall to purchase a battery for my camera so I wasn't able to photograph them in what would have been a classic shot - their black outfits silhouetted by the gentle falling snow all around them...
Anyway, I came back the following week and was able to capture these shots in addition to getting them to agree to appear on my radio show! Initially these ladies had to endure a lot of abuse from passersby who were not only supporting the war but marching in lockstep with the Bush administration. Thankfully, by the time I showed up to take these photos a few years later, motorists were much more appreciative and supportive. Luckily there are courageous people, in this world, who still have the courage to stand up for what's right even during difficult times - thank you!

Peace

Peace sign to motorists!

Vigil against violence

Peace with justice

click Here for my YouTube video on Women in Black!

click Here for the "Carol for Peace" page!

Close Guantanamo!

On January 11, 2008 (Friday) I happened by this protest demanding the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention/military center. The protest was taking place in front of the Boulder County Court House on the pedestrian mall. It was the noon lunchtime and pretty darn cold out yet these dedicated protesters kept at it to ensure their message would be heard! I believe the groups involved were the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center along with the ACLU.

Shut it down!

Close it!

Speaking out!

Three

Washington State

In December '07 local citizens defeated a NW Cascade, Inc. proposal to dump "bio-solids" (processed human waste) on a 3,000 acre tree farm owned by the White River School District near Mt. Rainier. Kelly and a group of concerned citizens out of Carbonado banded together to keep this questionable fertilizer project away from the forests. The citizens won!

White River School District headquarters:

Don't poop on us!

Will you drink our water?

No Sh _ _

Save Carbonado

No Spray

Here's the Sierra Club's Guidance on the Land Application of Sewage Sludges:

There is growing agreement among scientists and environmentalists that the current US sewage sludges management programs need serious improvements. In 1997 the Cornell Waste Management Institute concluded that current regulations governing land application do not protect human health, agricultural productivity, and the environment.
On July 13, 2000, the US House Science Committee held a hearing on the 1999 National Research Council report entitled "Strengthening Science at the US EPA". The 503 sludge rule was singled out as an example of regulation that is being driven by politics, rather than by sound science. In 2000 the CDC/NIOSH identified Class B sewage sludge as a potential hazard to workers who handle this material, and the same year the EPA Office of Inspector General also concluded that due to lack of data and lack of oversight the EPA cannot assure the public that current land application practices are protective of human health and the environment.
The Sierra Club opposes the land application of municipal sewage sludges as a fertilizer and/or soil amendment because the current policies and regulations governing this practice are not adequately protective of human health and the environment. The Sierra Club recognizes, however, that more than half of the sewage sludges generated in the US are being disposed through land application. Because this practice cannot be banned overnight, the Sierra Club has developed Guidelines for Community Activists, as well as Recommendations for Research and for the National Program.

Washington, D.C.

I've been to our nation's capitol many times for business and
pleasure (see my page on America...). In addition to enjoying
all of the monuments, museums, and culture I'm equally fascinated
with the protests and picketing that go on while I'm there. My
April, 2007 visit was actually a little bit slower, as far as protesting
goes, but I happened to have a camera with me this time around!

Vatican Hides Pedophiles

25 Year Peace Vigil

Me & Thomas Hollenbeck

Me and Rick Hohensee

Rick Hohensee for President!

Notes:

Some Internet searching reveals that Hollenbeck's peace and anti-nuke protest had been going on for over a quarter century at the time of my photograph!! I talked with Hollenbeck and he said that he'd been in jail over 50 times, once for 90 days, but even to his surprise he hadn't been arrested lately...
Rick Hohensee had a laundry-list of complaints against the Bush administration and was pushing for a Constitutional Amendement that would place him and Senator Russell Feignold in the White House - I'm not going to hold my breath...

Mayday Gold Mine
La Plata Canyon, Colorado

While exploring southern Colorado, one early evening in March '07, I wondered up La Plata Canyon only to find nearly all of the neighborhood displaying signs protesting a gold mine a short distance upstream from everyone. The light was failing so I didn't get too many good photographs until I tried my luck the next morning (when the sun was in the wrong direction...).
I chatted briefly with Lisa, and another neighbor, only to learn that out-of-state interests were pushing for the mine's development at the expense of the neighborhood's quality of life - not to mention the attendent noise, chemical and visual pollution that accompany such undertakings.
I was promissed to receive an email describing the project's history - I'll post it here whenever it arrives. Until then, I guess I'll have to rely on my instincts anytime I see tractors and heavy equipment tearing into the Earth for unneeded shopping malls, dams, airports and mines - I'm against 'em!

Mining destroys mountains!	Stop wilcat mining!	Gold mining is wrong!	Gold mining pollutes...	Bite the Tailings!
Peace & Harmony	Roger J. Wendell agrees...	Please help us fight!	No mining in Mayday!	Know your enemy...

Topeka, Kansas?

In January '06 I was in Topeka, on business, and discovered all kinds of public displays of dissatisfaction. Please don't get me wrong, I like Topeka and think it would have been a great place to live and raise a family (my own kids were grown and long-gone by the time I took these photos) - it just surprised me to see such displays in America's "Heartland." Interesting to note, too, that the Westboro Baptist Church (the two photos to the right) was already pretty famous for their anti-Americanism and general hate speech even though I had never heard of them before...