Oracle 160

Roger Hallam's Designing the Revolution Podcast (available on multiple platforms)

This was a pivotal moment in the case for Joanna Smith at US District Court for the District of Columbia today. Joanna was charged with 2 felonies carrying maximum penalties of 5 years each and a $250k fine for a Declare Emergency No Art on a Dead Planet action on April 27 2023 at the Nat’l Gallery of Art in DC.
She pleaded guilty today to 1 felony - Injury to National Gallery of Art Property. She’ll be sentenced by Judge Amy Berman Jackson at a hearing April 3 at 9:30am.
At this hearing the judge asked Joanna a litany of questions - including her giving up the right to a trial.
Using a system of guidelines that Joanna’s lawyer indicated is kind of a checklist item, the gov’t said an appropriate sentence would be 108 months, plus a fine of $30k to $100k - most of the enormous sentence due to the value of the Degas, which the government put between $65MM and $120MM.
The defense came up with a sentence of 0-6 months using the same guidelines. The prosecution is asking for 30 days, however, the judge will have a great deal of power, to give less than 30 days or up to 5 yrs and 250k in fine. The gov’t said damages totaled just over $4k.
The judge said factors that will influence her decision include, among other things, deterrence of future actions like this.
To be clear, deterrence is not something the government should be advocating for in a climate emergency, as Ian Fry recently stated that governments are coming down too hard on climate protesters.
The judge emphasized that at a prior hearing, as well. Joanna is still bound by her conditions of release until after sentencing. Conditions of release include restricted mobility, to southern New York and her districts, her passport is confiscated, and any travel inside the states must be approved., and no museums.
Tim Martin is also charged for the same action, but he chose to reject a plea offer. His next hearing is January 16.

To support Tim and Joanna, go to their legal fund support here

JUST STOP OIL SUPPORTER GIVEN 6 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR MARCHING

Stephen Gingell, 57, a business owner and father of three, was sentenced to 6 months in prison for marching after appearing in Manchester Magistrates Court yesterday. Stephen was arrested on 13th November 2023 in London for peacefully marching for no more than 30 minutes with 40 other Just Stop Oil supporters. He was transferred to the court in Manchester for sentencing.

A spokesperson from Lawyers are Responsible, a group of legal professionals, said, “This sentence demonstrates the increasingly repressive environment that people find themselves in when they take entirely peaceful action to express concern about the climate and ecological crisis. Our legal system has become completely detached from the real threat to our futures posed by the climate and ecological emergency. People should not be criminalised for standing up for our futures.”

Support people like Stephen in nonviolent civil resistance — http://juststopoil.org/donate

via @JustStop_Oil on Twitter

Global sea surface temperatures are nearing record anomaly territory (again), and are back over 5 sigma above the 1982-2011 mean (first 30 years of data). Will a new record be set in 2023? The magic 8-ball says "f&%kery ahead!"

Prof Eliot Jacobson, via @EliotJacobson on Twitter

In Solidarity, Rebel Oracle

Join the Summer of Heat in NYC

The clock is ticking. That’s why The Summer of Heat, is taking joyful, relentless nonviolent direct action to end fossil fuel financing. Wall Street is bankrolling the coal, oil and gas companies that are polluting our communities and killing our planet. The Summer of Heat is set on stopping them. The Summer of Heat is going hard all summer long. Week after week. Month after month. The Summer of Heat is taking the party to the streets and won't stop.