Students for a Democratic Society street theater brings bank policies under scrutiny
By Amy Nordrum, Staff Writer
April 24, 2007 | 3:26 a.m.
Smoking cigars and dancing atop a pile of charcoal, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) combined irony and street theater Friday to protest Chase bank’s investment in coal-fired power plants.
A handful of local SDS members met outside the Court Street bank Friday afternoon to mock the billionaire lifestyle of Chase executives who profit from these plants and to bring attention to Chase’s refusal to adopt adequate climate change policies. SDS members, dressed in suit jackets, white gloves and prom dresses, handed out flyers and chanted, "Invest in Chase, invest in global warming!"
Chase is among seven major U.S. banks that invest in the development of coal-burning power plants, which are the world’s leading producers of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Rainforest Action Network. Paul Loomis, who organized the event, said he and organizers of similar events around the country hope to persuade Chase and the other banks involved, "to write a policy that makes it so that they can’t invest in dirty energy."
Street theater is a unique protest format designed to attract attention and provoke curiosity in the performers and their cause. Loomis said he hoped to, "create this sort of mythical, satirical event" by using costumes, props and irony. "The old format of mass protests are not so effective because people are kind of desensitized to them."
SDS’ street theatre was inspired by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), an environmental organization that uses straightforward, high visibility campaigns to raise awareness and inspire change in corporate policies. RAN is currently petitioning for the seven major U.S. banks, including Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Credit Suisse, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, to stop investing in coal-burning power plants and adopt more progressive climate change policies. Currently, there are 150 such plants in the early stages of development, and RAN hopes efforts like petitioning and street theaters will prevent these plants from becoming a reality.
OU graduate student Joe Venosa expressed some concern that the irony of the protest may, "go over a few people’s heads." Many pedestrians walked in the street to avoid the awkwardness of passing through the boisterous group, but others reacted with smiles and amusement.
"I think they’re going about it in a very positive way," said OU junior Nathan Trester. "I think it’s effective. It’s not just some boring protest. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s entertaining."
Near the end of the protest, Loomis and a few other SDS members entered Chase to deliver a written message to Chase’s manager regarding the bank’s role in global warming. The manager was unavailable, and a Chase employee told the group to leave or she would contact the police.
SDS is an independent student organization based on the ideals of a participatory democracy. SDS is not a registered student group, but focuses on many issues central to OU students. Members have led protests on campus free-speech zones and the recent sports cuts, and traveled to Washington, D.C., in February to join in an anti-war protest.
Loomis said, "We work really hard on issues like shared governance and bringing the students' influence into the administration and, to some extent, getting the administration to humanize with us because a lot of times their goals are financial."