I know Devon Energy pretty well. I know they have a strong PR department and their is no way they want this to be blown up. They need the Keystone XL pipeline built. My guess is this is a case of overzealous security guards and OKC police. Time will tell though.
Obviously, they don't want media coverage. But, I think you're misunderstanding how they'll go about it. The companies behind Keystone XL, have exerted tremendous efforts to have protesters charged under terrorism laws. There have been training sessions for local police departments, put on by TransCanada and energy companies that want to see fracking continue unhindered. Those sessions teach small-town police departments about military tactics for attacking protesters, causing them harm, and how to most effectively charge them with huge laundry lists of offenses. Media rarely covers this stuff no matter what police and corporations do.
As far as Keystone XL and other pipelines across the country the training programs are for actual terrorist attacks. An attack on a pipeline is a mess if local law enforcement does not know how to deal with it. I remember sitting in my dad's office looking at a pipeline map and asking him who "protected" all of it? At the time his response was no one. Anyway's the mess in Oklahoma City had to deal with four people at the Devon Tower downtown. If protesters get anywhere near pipelines or fracking zones, well there is pretty long history of legal action against people trespassing on energy production sites. It is whole new territory charging people for protesting at corporate office building under a "terrorism hoax" law in the State of Oklahoma that has not even been tested. And if this actual goes to trial there will be strong media and legal coverage. Of that much I am certain.
<update>
The state of Oklahoma has historically gone after activist groups. The IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) & Green Corn Rebellion being the extreme examples.
Comments
I know Devon Energy pretty well. I know they have a strong PR department and their is no way they want this to be blown up. They need the Keystone XL pipeline built. My guess is this is a case of overzealous security guards and OKC police. Time will tell though.
Obviously, they don't want media coverage. But, I think you're misunderstanding how they'll go about it. The companies behind Keystone XL, have exerted tremendous efforts to have protesters charged under terrorism laws. There have been training sessions for local police departments, put on by TransCanada and energy companies that want to see fracking continue unhindered. Those sessions teach small-town police departments about military tactics for attacking protesters, causing them harm, and how to most effectively charge them with huge laundry lists of offenses. Media rarely covers this stuff no matter what police and corporations do.
As far as Keystone XL and other pipelines across the country the training programs are for actual terrorist attacks. An attack on a pipeline is a mess if local law enforcement does not know how to deal with it. I remember sitting in my dad's office looking at a pipeline map and asking him who "protected" all of it? At the time his response was no one. Anyway's the mess in Oklahoma City had to deal with four people at the Devon Tower downtown. If protesters get anywhere near pipelines or fracking zones, well there is pretty long history of legal action against people trespassing on energy production sites. It is whole new territory charging people for protesting at corporate office building under a "terrorism hoax" law in the State of Oklahoma that has not even been tested. And if this actual goes to trial there will be strong media and legal coverage. Of that much I am certain.
<update> The state of Oklahoma has historically gone after activist groups. The IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) & Green Corn Rebellion being the extreme examples.