Politics & Government
Protesters Out in Force in Atherton, Menlo Park
Nearly every age group, including a five-year-old, was represented.
At 8:15 a.m., a small handful of people protesting the Keystone XL Pipeline had assembled at the appointed time with umbrellas in hand under a tree near the Menlo Park Fire Station anticipating President Barack Obama's arrival Thursday.
Within 15 minutes, that number swelled to more than 100, all carrying signs pleading for the President who was in town for a fundraiser, to veto the plan to carry "Tar Sands" oil across the breadth of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico.
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"It's not the same as regular oil," one protester pointed out. "It's really sticky and congeals. It emits a toxic gas when it hits air and if it goes underwater it stays solid. It's harder to refine and more toxic."
Members of Raging Grannies group had sent out the notices to gather and by crowd grew to encompass people of all ages, who bore signs about reversing climate change and taking care of the environment.
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Many of cars honked in support as demonstrators shook banners and placards. At one point, all four corners of the intersection were inhabited by protesters.
The police first urged citizens to confine their protest to Valparaiso Avenue, west of the Alameda, and then to ask them to gather behind a barrier on the front lawn of the fire station.
At 8:40 a.m., several highway patrol cars blocked off the intersection as a cavalcade of dignitaries, but not the president, driving south on the Alameda, turned east onto Valparaiso.
The Raging Grannies formed a circle to sing a protest song to the tune of "Home of the Range." Another was passing around a petition advocating for more transparency in campaign donations.
Stanford students representing "Fossil Free Stanford" joined the protesters both as a show of support and a way to advance a grassroots campaign by 350.org to help solve climate change.
The group is working to convince Stanford to divest itself of investments from a list of 200 fossil fuel companies.
Four colleges—College of the Atlantic, Hampshire College, Sterling College and Unity College—have divested themselves of fossil fuel companies and many other universities, including California-Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara and Cornell, have passed student government resolutions asking their schools follow suit.
The pipeline was the main topic, though, with opinions openly shared.
"If we're supposed to be working to reduce oil dependency, why does the pipeline go to the coast where it can be loaded onto to ships?" asked one. "We're selling it. If we use it in Illinois, we wouldn't need it to go to the Gulf of Mexico."
A former staff member of the Department of Energy joined the protest.
"I've been pushing this stuff," said the unidentified man. "But if you see pictures, you'll know it's horrible. If the pipeline breaks it is pretty messy. It can rip up the countryside."
He also insisted that "pipelines do not create very many jobs. But this thing will pass. The plans have been in effect for years. There's too much money involved."
Other signs read:
"Forward in Climate; Stop Keystone Pipeline"
"Stop Dirty Energy"
"Tax Carbon, not our Children's Future"
"I speak for the Trees"
The protest was originally scheduled to take place near the intersection of Walsh Road and Alameda, but the Atherton police informed the organizers could not be there due to the closure of the Alameda between Woodside Road and Walsh Road, where the president was scheduled to stop.
More on Patch:
- Obama Disrupts Quiet Atherton
- UPDATED: Obama's Arrival Rallies Keystone XL Pipeline Protesters
- Watch Out! Obama’s Arrival to Close Streets
- Obama To Visit Atherton
