“You take all the bribes and we pay the price,” - Pennsylvania action on climate Crashes the 24th Annual Pennsylvania Society Event in New York City
“We are here because this place, this event, is an orgy of corruption.”
by Beth Taylor, MarchOnHarrisburg, and Michael Bagdes-Canning, Pennsylvania Action On Climate
On December 3rd, Pennsylvania Action on Climate (PAC), a coalition of climate and anti-corruption activists, crashed the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association luncheon at the Pennsylvania Society Weekend at the Metropolitan Club in New York City today. The Pennsylvania Society gathering is a long-standing bribe orgy weekend event. Every year, PA legislators come to the annual weekend event to get their palms greased by lobbyists, donors, businesses and groups like the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association.
With an exquisitely choreographed song and dance, a banner reading “YOU TAKE BRIBES, THE PLANET DIES”, and a hefty dose of chutzpah, we walked right into the den of corruption, past the gatekeepers, security, and into the room filled with posh pols and plutocrats. Watch the action here.
Michael Bagdes-Canning, PAC member and former Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor, commanded the space of the room by declaring: “we are here because this place, this event, is an orgy of corruption.”
Then, holding props with eyeballs saying “we are watching you,” three of our incredibly talented activists began a song-and–dance performance to Rockwell’s hit song from the 80’s “Somebody's Watching Me,” but with revised lyrics: “You take all the bribes, and hell, we pay the price. All we want is equity and a fair democracy, but we’re always under the heel of the aristocracy. That’s why we keep on watching you, Pennsylvania Society.”
“My community is under siege from fracking and we’re not getting any movement politically because of the corruption.”
Pennsylvania Action on Climate, which MarchOnHarrisburg is in coalition with, was created in response to Pennsylvania’s corruption-fueled ecological devastation that is actively killing working class communities.
“My community is under siege from fracking and we’re not getting any movement politically because of the corruption,” said Rachel Renzy Neffshade, native Pittsburgh resident and PAC member.
Corruption manifests in backroom gatherings such as the PA Society and in the form of unlimited gifts, dark money, and campaign contributions, which are all legal bribes and are given freely to PA legislators by lobbyists and moneyed interests. Consequently, the voices of the elite remain the strongest while the voices of working-class Pennsylvanians are crushed.
“We opened their eyes. They know they’re not operating with impunity now. They know we have our eyes on them.”
PAC chose the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Association event due to their support of fossil fuel extraction in PA. The resulting runaway dependence on fossil fuels causes extreme damage to the land, air, water, and health of Pennsylvanians. PAC activists will be forcing an encounter with lobbyists and elected officials who engage in corruption and the ecological devastation in Pennsylvania, in order to show them the suffering faces created by their bribery-fueled policy violence. PAC aims to disrupt the mechanics of corruption, give no rest to the wicked, and push our public officials to turn their back on corruption and pass pro-climate legislation like their lives depend on it.
“We opened their eyes. They know they’re not operating with impunity now. They know we have our eyes on them,” said Bagdes-Canning.
This action comes on the heels (a week earlier) of another PAC action pulled off in State College by a handful of PACsters prior to the Penn State vs. Michigan State game. Again, our crew acted boldly and righteously.
Both actions generated press. The action in New York got a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The action in State College got coverage in the Centre Daily Times and on TV.
In addition to all of that, in November, PAC also hosted a Non-violent direct action training for folks new to direct action. Around 25 folks participated. There will be more and, if you want, we can come to you or your group. You can contact us here for more information and to sign up to receive notifications about upcoming PAC training and events.
Our goal is to train an ever-broadening cadre of NVDA campaigners throughout the state ready to spring into action. If we are going to win the future, we need a movement of peaceful campaigners, people willing to dance and sing, sit and block, pray and chant, disrupt, and become ungovernable.
PAC was formed in the lead-up to the PA Climate Convergence when we realized that one of the problems we were confronting was horrible climate policy coming out of Harrisburg. A second problem we encountered - that was clarified for us by the powerful work of March On Harrisburg - was that our politicians aren't taking their marching orders from the voters. They pass lousy climate policy because the people that bribe them write the laws which they dutifully pass. In Pennsylvania, it's LEGAL to bribe our politicians! It's not a stretch to say that PAC was born at the intersection of bad climate policy and corruption.
PAC is well on our way to becoming a disruptive force here in the Keystone State. Echoing one of our favorite trouble makers, George Lakey, we are aiming to make the lives of our politicians of all stripes, red and blue, uncomfortable with targeted, sustained, and escalating action. We also want to make the trashy tycoons wriggle and squirm - but the politicians - we want them to govern like the future matters more than profits and principled policy outweighs dirty money.
On December 3rd, we laughed, danced, and sang in the swanky home of the plutocrats and their slimy servants - our politicians. We let them know that the climate movement is onto their game, their formerly "safe space" isn't safe for bribery any more. Coupled with the powerful work of our partners and mentors, we are shining a bright line on sleaze.
We need to confront evil in every dark corner of the Commonwealth (and beyond). Corruption shapes policy around every systemic evil we are confronting. Let's win this fight.
About Pennsylvania Action On Climate: This past June, Pennsylvania climate advocates, anti-corruption activists, and concerned residents converged in Harrisburg to address Pennsylvania’s worsening corruption-fueled climate crisis. After a weekend filled with rigorous discussion about what actions come next, Pennsylvania Action on Climate formed.
Pennsylvania Action on Climate is a coalition of climate and anti-corruption activists who are taking the non-violent direct action necessary to address Pennsylvania’s corruption-fueled climate crisis. The coalition conducts regular nonviolent direct action trainings to prepare organizations to plan and carry out decentralized nonviolent direct actions across Pennsylvania.
“ You take all the bribes, and hell, we pay the price. All we want is equity and a fair democracy, but we’re always under the heel of the aristocracy. That’s why we keep on watching you, Pennsylvania Society.”