The People’s Freedom Caravan rolled into St. Louis last night and was joined by the bus representing Southern Echo and the people of Mississippi. We now have representatives from all across the Southern and Southwestern United States in our caravan. This morning we pulled up in front of Peabody Coal headquarters with the power of 3 buses full of rowdy caravanistas. The People’s Freedom Caravan gave it’s support to the people of St. Louis in demanding an end to the excessive consumption of taxpayer dollars by the massive, global energy corporation.
Peabody Coal, the world’s largest private-sector coal company, is seeking an incentive package from the City of St. Louis that would include a 10-year tax abatement on up to $50 million in new equipment and $11 million on building improvements, and a 50% break on earning and payroll taxes for new employees Peabody hires. Peabody Coal has already received $10 million in new market tax credits and now they are asking for another $61 million, all without a guarantee that they will stay in the city of St. Louis.
Peabody Coal’s massive tax breaks are just another example of corporate profits given priority over people and communities. The time for clean, renewable energy has certainly arrived, yet these fossil fuel companies continue to leech off of the taxpayers. Peabody Coal, like so many other corporations that sap our community resources, hides behind the guise of providing jobs. However, investment in renewable energy creates three times as many jobs as investment in fossil fuels. Coal-fired pollution also causes more than 23,000 premature deaths every year, and St. Louis was named the #2 Asthma Capital by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. And all this without any guarantee that Peabody Coal will even stay in the city!
The New Mexico delegation bound for the U.S. Social Forum was excited to participate in the protest outside of Peabody Coal’s headquarters today because we see the damage that fossil fuel corporations are doing to our country, and we realize that the only way to fight back against such massive forces is for many communities to join together and speak with one voice.
Not to mention, our allies on the Navajo Nation fight Peabody Coal Company every single day, in a historic and profound struggle to save their water and their land from the company’s rapacious quest for coal.
St. Louis residents passed by our protest on their way to the Cardinals game and stopped to ask why we were gathering and protesting. That kind of exchange is exactly why the caravan is important- we’re letting communities everywhere no that they’re not alone and we’re ready to take back our country!
Thank you St. Louis! On to Louisville…
Caravanistas protesting outside Peabody Coal headquarters.
