DAY OF RESISTANCE
GROUPS RALLY IN SLEIGHTON PARK AGAINST PIPELINE PLAN
MIDDLETOWN » The battle of Mariner East 2 came to the township Saturday morning.
Father Mulcahy, the devoted padre from the M*A*S*H 4077 of TV fame, was once asked if he had a prayer for an untried vascular clamp.
Some local residents are seeking similar divine intervention regarding Sunoco/Energy Transfer Partners Mariner East 2 pipeline.
Surrounded by prayer flags, nearly 100 members of Middletown Coalition for Community Safety, Protect Penn-Delco, Uwchlan Safety Coalition, Sisters of St. Francis, True River Sangha and Yoga on the Line met in Sleighton Park Saturday morning for a community day of resistance. The event included a short march and peaceful action near crews working in a portion of the township-owned 22-acre open space.
“We do not live close to the pipeline, but I have a friend who just bought a home near Glenwood Elementary School and will be sending her three kids there,” said Marianne Koiva, of Upper Providence. “The fear that a building filled with children and adults is so close to the pipeline should be reason enough not to install it.”
Spanning Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, Mariner East 2 is a 350-mile system that would bring natural gas liquids such as propane, ethane and butane to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex. Installation in Delaware and Chester counties has resulted in bentonite spills in Brookhaven and Middletown, damage to underground water supplies in Uwchlan and West Whiteland townships and calls from state legislators in both counties for an immediate moratorium until the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) can ensure proper safeguards are in place to protect the safety and property of local residents.
The participants centered themselves physically, mentally and spiritually with yoga moves and sitting meditation in the trees, while children added to the #WaterIsLife prayer flag chain by making their own #CommunityProtector pennants. Daylin Flynn, 8, drew “People over Pipelines,” showing residents voicing their concerns to the workers.
“I want everyone to know that people are better than the pipeline,” he said. “People deserve to live.”
Many group members wore “Defend What You Love” T-shirts, with a picture on the front of a mother bear protecting her cub in front of Glenwood Elementary School, where the pipeline is to be installed 650 feet from the playground, and the hashtag #NoME2 and the coalition website on the back.
They gathered under the banner to read a community proclamation about the current water/pipeline crisis. Male, female, young, old – each person took a section, asking governments in both counties to enforce local laws and “choose resistance over appeasement,” while urging more legislators to join the call to halt drilling, Gov. Wolf to stop the work, DEP to revoke the “hastily issued permits” and adherence to the state constitution “to demand that our government uphold the protection of our land, water resources and safety.”
The participants then walked past the work area, carrying bottled water, which they planned to offer to the crew. The men had apparently moved to another site, however, and only the trucks were visible.
Before departing, the volunteers shared ideas on ways to inform others, such as attending township meetings, contacting legislators and the DEP, taking non-violent resistance training and distributing information doorto-door.
Each group also has a Facebook page, including the recently-launched Upper Uwchlan Residents for Safety, which has already gained 64 followers.
“We do not live along the pipeline, but our home has a private well,” said member Christina DiGiulio. “The issue isn’t what will happen today or tomorrow, but what will happen 20 years from now.”