Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20171020

Event. Amamy as cataststrophic wildfds in california kill at least 42 people and leave thousands of homes and businesses in ruins, many of the areas undocumented 20,000 immigrants havave had no sananctuary from ththe flame, with some sleeping on beaches in order r to avoid federeral agent shelelters. This comes as far right Media Outlets like breitbart are falsely reporting that an undocumented immigrant was arrested in n connection to thee fires. Police say there is no indication the man had anythinig to do with the wildfires. We will speak with the deputy county lawyer of Sonoma County and d the head of thehe communiy centerer. Then as g Global Temperatures continueues to rise,e, we will k at the link between fires and Climate Change with dr. Max moritz, Fire Research scientist based at uc santa barbara. And well host roundtable activists on next steps after a summer of extreme weather around the world. What the Movement Needs to do is be strong and unified and fight back on all of these decisions and appointments. And we can grow our movement. So many people were concerned about the election of donald trump are concerned about what it means for this issue that is going to affect generations that have yet to come. So we are seseeing many more people who want to get involved. Amy all that anand more, miming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from Northern California. Both former president s obama and george w. Bush criticized President Trump on thursday, slamming trumps divisive, nativist and hateful rhetoric. Neither of the former president s named trump directly, but both their speeches were clearly aimed at the current president. This is president obama speaking in richmond, virginia, while campaigning g for democratic gubernatorial candidate ralph northam. Pres. Obama instead of our politics reflecting our values, were politics infecting our commununities. Instead of looking for waste to Work Together ways to Work Together and get things done and a practical way, we have folks who are deliberately trying to make folks angry, to demonize pepeople who have different ide. To get the base all riled up because itit provivides a s shom tactical advantagege. Amy that was former president barack obama. This is former president George W Bush also denouncing President Trump while speaking at a Bush Institute event in new york. Pres. Bush to treat s seems emboldened bigotry seems emboldened. Our policy seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outrtright fabricatition. Asual cruelty at times, vacancy might be s pulling support aree stronger than those binding us together. We have forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to america. Amy the New York Times reports it is unprecedented in modern u. S. History for o former president s to speak out so forcefully against the current sitting president. President trump is planning to depapart for a 12day trip to aa in early november amid rising tensions between the u. S. And north korea. Trump is slated to visit china, vietnam, japan, the philippines, and south korea. White house officials are divided over whether trump should visit the Demilitarized Zone between north and south korea during the trip, with concerns that a visit could further exacerbate the threat of nuclear war. In the philippines, he is slated to meet with philippine president rodrigo duterte, who is presiding over a bloody socalled war on drugs that has left thousands of people dead. In califorornia, the states insurance commissioner says the ununprecedented wildfires have caused over 1 billion in insured losses. The wildfires were the deadliest since recordkeeping began, killing at least 42 people, destroying thohousands of memes and businesses, and scorching more than 200,000 acres roughly the size of new york city. As of thursday, more than 20,000 people are still displaced in Sonoma County. Calfire is still investigating the cause of the fires. Residents in santa rosa have sued the pacific gas and electric company, claiming the companys failure to maintain its power lines sparked the blazes. The night the fires bebegan,hehe were multiple rertrts of dowownd powewer lines s and explododing elecectrical traransrmerers. Meanwhile, sona a county sheherf has refuted claims being spread by farrightwing news outlets, including Breitbart News, that a that an undocumented men arrested for arson on sunday may have sparked the blazes. Sheriff giordano said theres a story out there hes the arsonist for these fires. That is not the case. There is no indication he is related to these fires at all. Well have more on the Deadly Wildfires after headlines. On pueuerto rico, about reree mimillion residents still have o electricitity from thehe power , and more t than 1 million n peoe stilill have no clean Drinking Water now one month after Hurricane Maria hit puerto rico as a category 4 storm. The official death toll now stands at 48. At least 113 more people are still missing. Across the island, residents are rereporting susuffering frfrom e ininfections a and gastroiointel diseaseses as a resusult of expe to c contaminateted water. On thursdaday, presidedent trump said his administrtration desers a 10 out of 10 for its response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis on puerto rico. In california, the Los Angeles Police Department Says its investigating disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein for Sexual Assault. The new york Police Department and Scotland Yard are also investigating multiple reports of Sexual Assault by weinstein. More than 40 women, including some of hollywoods biggest stars, h have now cocome forward with allegationsns of rape, sexl assault or sexual l harassment against weinstein, who was once one of the most powerful men in hollywood. One of his closest collaborators, prominent movie director quentin tarantino, has now come forward to admit he knew for decades about weinsteins sexual harassment, but didnt take action because he wanted to continue making films with weinstein. Tarantino told the New York Times i knew enough to do more than i did. If i had done the work i should have done then, i would have had to not work with him. The e u. S. Army is again f facig scrutiny over Sexual Assault and harassment after the Washington Post reported that a number of the troopsps and army prosececus tasked with preventing Sexual Assault have themselves been charged with rape in recent months. In sepeptember, Army Prosecutor scott hockenberry, who is responsible for investigating Sexual Assault in the military, was charged with raping g a womn twice, hitting her in the face, and pressing a knife against her neck. Earlier this year, another soldier certified by the army as a Sexual Assault prevention officer was convicted in a military court of repeatedly raping a 12yearold girl. The u. S. Army told the Washington Post that over the last year it has launched Sexual Assault investigations against eight other soldiers or civilians tasked with deterring or investigating Sexual Assault inside the army. In spain, the Spanish Government sasays it is cononvening an emergency caCabinet Meetingg saturday to trigger article 155 of the constitution, which will allow spain to suspend catalonias autonomy and seize control of the region. The move comes after catalonia voted to secede from spain in a referendum spain has called illegal. Article 155 has never been used before in spains modern democratic history. This is Spanish Government spokesperson Inigo Menendez de vigo. The president of the government has called a special Cabinet Meeting f for next saturday that will activate the senate in order to protect the general interest of spaniards. Among them, the citizens of catalonia. All citizens of catalonia. And to restore Constitutional Order in the autonomous region. Amy in colombia, afrococolombin Community Leader Jose Jair Cortes has been assassinated in the Southern Region of narino. He was murdered tuesday in a rural area where, on october 5, at least seven coca farmers were killed during clashes with police at a protest over the governments eradication of coca crops. The u. N. Assistant secretarygeneral for human rights has condemned the killing of human rights and land defenders in colombia, saying the armed c conflict with the farc may be over, but the countrys incredibly brave human rights defenders continue to be threatened and killed at an alarming rate. In argentina, thousands of people marched to the plaza de mayo in the capital buenos aires on thursday demanding justice and answers in the case of a indigenous activist. On thursday, a body was found in the river close to the site Santiago Maldonado disappeared on august 1 during a protest against the eviction of Indigenous People from lands claimed by the Italian Clothing Company benetton. It is not yet known if the body is maldonados. Witnesses say Argentine Security forces b beat and arrested a a person around ththe time of maldonados disappearance. The case has stoked painful memories of the military dictatorship of 1976 to 1983, when u. S. Backed Security Forces tortured activists and disappeared an estimated 30,000 people. This is nora cortina of the mothers of the plaza de mayo. If president wasnt interested in human rights ri is president of all now. He has to govern for all argentinians and argentinians need to know that human rights are part of the government and are part of the state. This is what we are, that they respect human rights. Amy in nonorth dakota, a judge has sentenced two water protectors to jail time after they were convnvicted on misdemeano c charges ovever an october 2016 protest as Standing Rock sioux against the Dakota Access pipipeline. Alexexander simomon were sentend to serve 18 days and joe for obstruction of a government function, while 64yearold mary redway was senteed to sixx days andd joe for disorderly conduct. They were imposed by judge Thomas Merrick will stop despite the facthe prosecucution had not recommended the two serve jail time. Sara lafleurvetter was acquitted on misdemeanor charges stemming from her reporting on the protest on october 22. She was filming for the guardian at the time of her arrest. Ththere are still hundreds of unresolved criminal cases related to the monthlong resistance at Standing Rock. Three water protectors are currently imprisoned while awaiting trial. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now w , demomocracynow. Org, the war r ad peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from the Community Media center of marin in san rafaeael, california. A. Today is Community Media day, which celebratates community mea centers like this one around the country. Here in california, catastrophic wildfires have killed at least 42 people and left thousands of homes and businesses in ruins. The fires are still burning across multiple counties. We are in marin, close to Sonoma County, which some say has taken the brunt of the destruction, and is home to about 20,000 undocumented immigrants whove had little sanctuary from the fires. Last week, immigration and customs enforcement, or ice, announced it would suspend noncriminal enforcement at shelters and Evacuation Centers here. But fear of deportation led some undocumented residents to set up camps on the beach, or sleep in their cars, churches or other popup shelters in order to avoid federal agents. Some evacuees also face challenges returning to their homes because of police checkpoints. Investigating the cause of the fire. Residents have sued Pacific Gas Electric company claiming their failure to maintain their power lines sparked the blazes. The night the fires began, the were multiple e reports of downd power lines and exploding electrical transformers. This comes as rirightwing Media Outlets like breitbart falsely reported that an undocumented immigrant was arrested in connection with starting the fire. Police say they did arrest 29yearold jesus fabian gonzalez, a homeless man who had stararted a fire to keep warm. Deputies extinguished the small fire before any y firefighters arrived. This wasas after the fires had begun. But on tuesday Sonoma County sheriff rob giordano said there is no indication that gonzalez had anything to do with these fires s and it appears highly unlikekely. On wednesday, ices acting director thomas homan accused Sonoma County of being a noncooperative jurisdiction that has left their community vulnerable to dangerous individuals and preventable crimes. The Sonoma County sheriff issued a scathing response, calling ices statements inaccurate, inflammatory, and damaging and said ice attacked the Sheriffs Office in the midst of the largest Natural Disaster this county has ever experienced. I hope to end this senseless public confrontation with these facts so that i may focus on the fire recovery. Meanwhile, the fires have also contributed to the portable housing crisis, leaving thousands homeless in neighborhoods of california where rental p prices were alrey skyhyhigh before the blazes. For more, we are joined by two guests who work closely with the immigrant community here. Juan hernandez is the executive director of the la luz center in sonoma. And alegria de la cruz is chief deputy county counselor of Sonoma County, which is one of ththe main servicece providers r the large undocumented population. We welcome you both to democracy now alegria de la cruz, you are the chief deputy county counselor of Sonoma County. But also you have been appointed to communicate with the spanishspeaking population here. We run an Infrastructure Group of about 11 lawyers that serve the countytys departmenti do important things like parks, water, roads, etc. I have also been responsible for leading the countys efforts, coordinator with regard to Immigration Service division, as well as fundraising for the Legal Service increasing pacitti throughout the county. Amy talk about what has just taken place. This attack it is reminiscent of puerto rico in the midst of the catastrophe, President Trump attacking the san juan mayor, who usually saw a television with water up to her chest holding a bullhorn trying to evacuate people safely. He attacked her. Now you have the head of ice attacking Sonoma County and the sheriff who is trying to deal the fires. It calls into question of Public Safety issues that are raised by local governments in the face of such increased efforts in terms of Immigration Enforcement. Training ago, we were immigrant communitities on how o protect themselves from Immigration Enforcement and warning people to make sure before they open the doors to somebody in uniform, that they saw a sign judicial warrant. 10 or 11 days later, were telling people to come in because they are safe. The confusion and conflict in their emotional state, especially in light of the , iseme Natural Disaster very difficult for the community to kind of switch so quickly. Tens ofre seeing is thousands of people not coming in to receive services to which they are entitled to, and continuing to seek service outside of the institutions that are designed to serve them. Amy where did immigrants go . Undocumented . A lot have gone to the coast. They go to the beach. Amy to the ocean . Yes. A lot has to do it it was cleaner air. They wanted to get out to cleaner air. I think one of the key things people need to understand is communication was down completely. You could not use our cell phone. Internet was down. Communication in general was hard to connect with people English Speaking people, but even worse, the spanishspeaking people. So they had no way of communicating with anybody. All they sell were the fires coming down the hill. Amy people run to the beach because they are afraid to go to the Evacuation Centers . They are heading to water . Yes. We saw the uncertainty of where to go. A lot of the families work in were disconnected from family services, the media. They did the best they could to support their families. Amy alegria de la cruz, when people would knock on the door, they are afraid to open it. And this is in the face of a disaster where people are needing to evacuate in order to save their lives. The county made a huge effort to ensure that information was spanish in english and trying to send the message to folks that, ok, we have shifted and now ice has promised not to enforce immigration laws at these places of service. Please come and receive benefits for you and your family that you are legally entitled to. This is something that Sonoma County does on a regular basis. Being able to shift and make sure were continuing to do that in our capacity as the county service providers, wasnt necessarily farfetched from what it is we do every day for people. Amy so respond to the head of ice attacking Sonoma County, where you are the chief deputy county counselor. My office does represent the Sheriffs Office. I just want to elevate his comments and really highlight the fact that in the face of such disaster and such emergency to then be respoponding to these kinds of attack, i belelieve sheriff said it beautifully that these statements are inflammatotory and incorrect. Making these kind of statements at this time takes away all of the energy we have to be fighting fires which are still burning making sure people have services and are safe. It makes things very difficult to increase Service Provision to communities already vulnerable and in need of services to continue to make efforts to make sure people understand coming into shelters, coming into the local Assistance Center is safe, that we are there to make sure people are receiving benefits that they need in order to recover. Is that the recovery effort equitable. These are not benefits that people are applying for illegally in any way. These are benefits to which families are legally entitled. To be able to come into the center to receive assistance is something that every Sonoma County resident who has been impacted by the fires has the ability and right to do. Amy can you comment on Breitbart News and others, but most important, the had of ice, accusing an undocumented immigrant of starting the fires . What is your understanding of what happened . The fires are still under investigation. The cause is under investigation. It is premature at this stage. It is clear from the investigation conducted with mr. Gonzaless arrest that the fires could not have an caused by his small fire, which he was arrested for. A few days ago, many days after the fires had started. , talk aboutrnandez the housing crisis and now people having jobs. In san rafael. It is, oh, 20, 40 miles from santa rosa where you are from. Both of you come you live about five blocks apart. The images we have seen of parts of santa rosa right now, it is a picturee, i now iconic of a mail carrier going to a completely burned out area. How many people, what, about 100,000 people have been evacuated . Listat is correct, overall of over the course of the fires, we understand are still 20,00000 peoplele who have bebeen displad and continue to be displaced. At the height of thehe fire, the were 36 shelelters draw ththe cy to help fofolks who neededed toe evevacuated undnder advisoryy conditions or mandatotory. Amy the i issue of affordablele houousing . Before the fire started, the Biggest Issue in our county was Affordable Housing. I think this is exacerbating the issue. It is the number one issue in our county, the housing. So now people who have lost homes are competing with peoeope that were looking for homes before. That is the number r one issueee are facing now. Amy what do people do . At this point, they are weighing their options. We know some of our families that have been affected have been moving in with other families. The Biggest Issue were seeing is affecting restaurant workers, landscapers, hotels. Number one is loss of jobs. A lot of our families that were working on these ranges and in the spaniards and some family moms working cleaning houses, they havave lost theirir abibilo a living. The second thingng is because ty have notot been working for at least a good one to two weeks, they have no money. Paycheck been living to p paycheck. This has affected their ability to get food. Were seeing a basic need of our fafamilies that are not being m. Sonomama valalley was really cuf from the rest of santa rosa. Highway 12 was closed. Area was really cut off from the rest of the county. We have a lot of families that could not leave. Ready to was there and serve. These families were not able to get outpost of amy New York Times headline. That is a big question. It has to do really more so with the housing, the lack of housing that will maybe force our families to move out of the area. Amy i want to ask what reporters say . The county has long been dedicated to finding Creative Solutions to our Affordable Housing challllenges. We are dedicated to cordoning visioning process that ensures whatever rebuilding and reconstruction is done with equity front and center and with affordabilitity to really addres the situation that we already were suffering and now has just been exacerbated by these fires. Amy alegria de la cruz, is Sonoma County a sanctuary county . It is not. That phrase or that word iss complicated. It means many things to many people. Our board of supervisors has long been leaders in this movement to make sure as a county, we are serving everybody who lives within our jurisdiction and making sure folks have information and access to the people that represent them. This idea really was developed in a series of resolution that the board of supervisors u under talk starting really in january of this year to make sure folks in our community knew the board of supervisors and the county as a whole were there to serve them and we were going to not only spanish,nformation in but culturally competent information and making sure we were giving folks services and help in addressing their unique needs and questions. Are complicated legal questions the Legal Resources available to folks in our county at low and no costs are very, very few. The county has been working g wh the Publicprivate Partnership to ensure we find raise to of oure the capacity nonprofit organizations to provide increased amounts of Legal Services giving the neeees of our community. Amy and the significancnce of e ice homan saying Sonoma Countys stump cooperating . What does that mean . Sonoma county follows the law. There is a case in oregon that sets forth a right for people to have their for the moment right protected and saying ice sending a request or local Law Enforcement agency to hold people after their time of their release is unconstitutional. That it requires a warrant to hold that person is a prorobable cause to continue to detain them. Sonoma county, like many jurisdictions throughout the ninth circuit, has followed that decision and followed the law in respect of peoples constitutional rights. While we do follow california truth and trust act as well as the upcoming sb54, californias century act that will b be of limited starting in n january Sonoma County is just making sure it is following the law. Amy will you losese federeral funding . We have been papart of a numr of legal challenges led by many counties and cities throughout the country to challenge the changes in policy that we allege are unconstitutional and threaten counties basic access to funding for Law Enforcement. They brought the brought hasnstitutional reach threatened the ability to receive federal funds, which make up a large amount of our budget to ensure that people continue to be served. Amy both of you, a final message, especially to the undocumented community here. I mean, for people to understand outside of this area what is happening, just talking to folks last night in San Francisco that describe the orange glow over San Francisco. They were not experiencing the fires. But the devastation that you are facing right now, fires still burning, though much more contained. He massive number of evacuees the loss of peoples homeses the loss of life, of course, the worst of all. But what message in particular do you have for the latino and undocumented communities . Is this isant to say not the first rodeo for the immigrant community being under attack either by our press, current president. We have been attacked since the creation of this country. We feel this is a Resilient Community. The difference now is there are in thewho are working county office, executive directors like myself who are on the same page. We are a Resilient Community and we will be here to help our community to the end. At the community level, President Trump is irrelevant. Amy last comment, alegria de la cruz . We are here any united front for our entire community. We are one community. This recovery effort is not going to happen unless we are united, lest the recovery effort is based on equity and ensuring everybody has their piece of this important effort to make sure santa rosa in Sonoma County become whole again. Amy i want to thank you both for being here. Alegria de la cruz is chief deputy county counselor of Sonoma County. Hit so hard by these wildfifire. Anand juan hernandez, executive director of the la luz center in sonoma, california. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im m amy goodman. When we come back, we will speak with max moritz with the university of california. And then we will speak with the headsup 350. O. Org, ththe indigs environmental network, andnd ran forced action network, about what theyre doing now around in issues of Climate Change this country and around the world. Stay with us. We are broadcasting from Northern California. [music break] amy chicano batman singing la jura the police from their new album freedom is free at our democracy now studio. To see their full interview and performance, visit democracynow. Org. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from the commmmunity media centerer of mn inin san rafael, califorornia, e not far from the wildfires of Northern California as we continue our conversation about the wildfires, the deadliest since recordsds began. 42 people have been killed. Destroying thousands of homomes anand businesses, the fire has, scorched more than 200,000 acres roughly the size of new york city. Tens of thousands of evacuees have now been allowed to return to their homes, with about 15,000 still displaced as of thursday. At least 100,000 people were forced to evacuate, with about 75,000 people still displaced. Some residents had to flee for their lives as droughtconditions and powerful, erratic winds contributed to the explosive spread of the fires. This is cal fire chief ken pimlott. We are still impacted by five years of drought. Lastignificant rain we had winter, those effects are gone of that moisture. Were literally looking at explosive vegetation. These fires are burning actively during the day and that night, when one would expect a fire to subside. And make no mistake, this is a serious, critical, catastrophic event. Amy among the victims of the wildfires were elderly residents of Sonoma County, where Authorities Say their bodies were so charred, the o only wayo identify some of them was by the serial numbers on Artificial Joints or other medical devices. Now officials and residents are searching for answers about the causes of this fire as well l as others that have scorched californias landscape over the past few decades. And while studies have linked wildfires to Climate Change, researchers say there are other contributingng factors that shod be considered. For more, were joined from santa barbara, california, by dr. Max moritz, Fire Research scientist with the university of California Cooperative Extension based at the university of california santa barbara. Welcome to democracy now can you talk about what has happened in Northern California and how it relates to Climate Change, to Climate Chaos, Global Warming . Sure. Thanks for the opportunity, amy. As you have noted, the fires are still not even out so we have a lot to learn. But in general, what we do know is these were windriven off ofes that swept vegetative landscapes and entered into urban areas and then transitioned to an urban conflagration. Some aspects of why there were so many homes lost and 70 fatalities are related to the one her abilities of this particular situation vulnerabilities of this particular situation. And other aspects of it relates to the ferocity, the strength of on thees themselves wildfires as they progressed across the landscape. As the fire chief noted, the effects of the drought in previous years in california, five years of severe drought, there is a lingering effect of those even though we had ample rainfall in much of the state last year. The drought itself was made worse probably by Climate Change, by heightened greenhouse gasforced temperatures. They make the drought more severe. They basically increase of evaporativemand dement on the planes. Lots of trains that we have seen over the last several decades in fire have been related back to Climate Change. There has been some good work looking at the temperature affects. Again, increasing evaporative demand. But warmer springs in Higher Elevations causing earlier snowmelt in stilldominated ,orests, leading to a longer more severe fire season. There is pretty conclusive evidence for a link to Climate Change for many of the fires that we have seen in the last couple of decades. The trends match up with what we expect from Climate Change and our models. These particular evens, because they were so winddriven, it is harder to make a link to Climate Change, although, there are ways that you would link the drought severity and possibly the flame links in the rates of spread. While it was a wildfire, but really, the losses that we saw in the urbanized environment in terms of structural losses and lives, it is really a different beast. This is not a classic wildfire situation. Urban conflagration. Amy and that issue of urban wildfires, of this urban conflagration. Talk about more how unusual this is. Yeah, so, typically when we think about our fire problem, were thinking about fire on Natural Landscapes weatherby forests or woodlands or shrublands. We sort of thought we solved the urban conflagration problem many years ago. Many cities in the earlier centuries were taken out by wildfire. We through building codes, we thought we had solved some of that problem. But increasingly in the last decade, missing the occasional fire suite into an urbanized area. This is not the only example, but clearly the most devastating. Were seen fires sweep into an urbanized area in a manages to breach the boundary. We sometimes call this the wildland interface where naturally fire prone landscapes but developed neighborhoods. We see it is possible under extreme weather conditions were we have high, dry winds, that these fires can actually penetrate the boundary and then become an urban structure the structure conflagration. So it is a very different type of fire. Tend tot one that we know a lot about because they are relatively rare. There have been instances, like i said, and it appears they are becoming a little more common, so it is clearly something that we need to plan for and learn from so that we can do things differently in the future. Moritz, your Research Suggests that we should learn to coexist with the fires. What exactly does that mean . Historically, we have had a rocky relationship with fire. Historically, we depended on fire. We used it as a tool for landscape clearing. We have used it as a cookiking tool forever. But as we have developed, we have sort of handed fire over to the professionals. We are less and less comfortable with fire and it is more and more of a threat. If you look at it, there are plenty of other Natural Hazards that we treat quite differently. We tend to fight f fire. In between fires, we think of fighting the vegetation, in a sense. But for lots of other Natural Hazards, we have a different view. We sort of accommodate them. We treat them as inevitable. If you think about floods or landslides or earthquakes, which were natos, and hurricanes tornadoes, and hurricanes. Were a different approach dow we deal with those. And it often involves claiming for them as inevitable, building them into our landuse planning and are building codes. We have maps use for these other Natural Hazards. And often we avoid the most hazardous part of the landscape and we tend to try to concentrate development on the least hazardous parts of the landscape for other Natural Hazards. But for fire, we tend to not do that for a variety of reasons. Many of us have argued thatat it is timime to take a different vw toward fire and try to coexist with it as a natural and inevitable process. I think events like this show was just how important that is. Some of the lessons amy what would you s say to the president of the United States who is a Climate Change denier when it comes to the issueue of these wild, urban fires and Climate Changege . I think the urban fire problem is one that has a separate set of causes and lessons that come from it. At the fire problem in general, the trends we have seen in increasing sizes and possibly intensities of fires throughout the west, there is conclusive evidence for a link to Climate Change. There are other factors that come into play depending on where you are tatalking about. There is a legacy of fire suppression. And so some places are probably burning more or more intensely because of that, that history of putting out fires. There are other places that have invasive species. The great basin and she grasped bringing fire into a place i did not have fires often. Then humans developing the landscape and flooding it with ignitions at just the wrong time is another factor. It Climate Change is real and amongst those of us studying it, modeling it, looking at the trends am a we are confident there is good evidence to support that link. The president is really being very naive and the administration, by not recocognizing this a as real. I in theorsrse than that fire context or on top of that, it appears that the one of theion does administrations Key Solutions to this would be to log our way out of the problem. Very few peoeople studying firer forest management, very few of us doing researcrch in this area believe t that timber harvestin, whwhich has a certain set of gos and metethods, that that equates to fire Hazard Reduction. There are very big differences between the way you are going about managing an ecosystem for fire Hazard Reduction and commercicial timbeber harvest. So this idea that we can, through logging, somehow adaddrs our fire problem, is very babackwards s and very outdated. Amy dr. Max moritz, thank you for being with us, Fire Research scientist with the university of California Cooperative Extension based at uc santa barbara. We are north, werere in marin county near the fifires in Northern California. When we come back, we will talk with environmental leaders about what to do about Climate Change and where theyre focusing their organization. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Broadcasting from the Community Media center of marin in san rafael, california. Today is Community Media day, which celebrates Community Media centers s like this one around e country. We are proud to broadcast from Public Television and read your stations around the United States and around the world. We endnd todays show with aa roundtable discussion on what the Environmental Movement is fofocusing on nonow. We are joined by threeee guests. Lindsey allen is executive director of the rainforest action network. Dallas goldtooth is an organizer with the indigenous environmental network. And may boeve is executive director of 350 action, the political arm of the Climate Organization 350. Org. Welcome all of you to democracy now may, i want to begin with you because your family is from sonoma. Talk about how you have an affected and what 350. Org is doing right now. Thank you, amy. It is nice to be here with this group this morning. Mosta is the place i love in the world. I honestly did not think this kind of thing was ever going to happen there. I think about climate disasters alike. I very happy my family is safe. Of other people in sonoma, santa rosa, and napa, have joined the growing community of people around the world who are living through the worst impacts of Climate Change. We knew this would happen. We saw this coming. But our political systemem has been far too slow to respond. Again, im justt very grateful y family is ok. But my heart really goes out t o this place and these people who shaped who i am. Amy what is 350. Org doing about Climate Change . You just send out any melody or two ago, an urgent plea and demand. The good news is, we know how to stop this problem. We have known n it for a long time. This thing thahat is standing in the way of action on Climate Change isnt that we dont know what the solution is. We actually do know what the solution is and we know exactly who is standing g in the way the fossil fuel sector. A Community Groups on the ground all over the world have been effective at stopping coal projects, as stopping pipelines, getting their communities to go 100 renewable energy. We just need more of it and that is what we are focused on across our global network. We believe this is what we need to do, w we just have to do it quickly because the and tags are having and a cascade of speed. Amy lindsey allen, you just celebrated another year at rainforest action network. Talk about what your group is doing, how it started, and what it is focused on now. Rain forest action network. We started 30 years ago looking at how we could ensure that consumers were having less of a negative impact on rain forests, even if they were removed and they were not directly located there. So we found bank of america excuse me, that burger king was leading to deforestation and the amazon rain forest. People started showing up and protesting burger king. Amy why burger king . It was one of the Companies One we follow the money, follow the products, we knew that beef from the amazon rain forest was going in the hamburgers. People started protesting outside burger king. Amy because the cattle and the rain forest exactly. In order to have areas to graze, they were clearing and burning rain forest. The amazon, as we know, belongs of the earth so there is no reason to do that. That created our model where we really channel lunched the role that companies challenged the role that copies are having on environment and communities. What were looking at is drawing the connection we were at this intersection between human deforestation. We know that forests can h helps buffer against increaseded emissions t that are coming from the burning g of fossil fuels. We also know that the burning and clearing of forest makes Climate Change e worse. We conontinue to folollow the m. We a are fouound big banks are willing g to finance six degrees of Climate Change. We need them to be on a 1. 5 degrees trajectory for the world. What were seeing is all around the world, people are going to banks and saying this is unacceptable. For the past couple of years, weve been working with friends of the earth france and with a local group in the gulf called save the Rio Grande Valley from lng. Theyre working to stop the more liquefied natural gas export terminals that would allow fact gas to make its way out of the u. S. Into Global Markets to make climamate change worse, to make Community Health worse where fracking isis happppening. We said, who are the banks that are financing these massive projects . We found one o of them was the largest bank in france, bnp paribas. The morning i woke last week during all of thelerts statay , i also got an alert that said bnp was committing to the strongest fossil fuel policy we have seen from a big bank. They have cut ties with tar sands oil. They have cut ties with coal miningnd coal power, with fracking, and the fact gas export terminals weve been working on with partners in the gulf coast. Amy expelling was the envy explain what bnp is. Locally, if youre familiar with bank of the west, it is connected. Bnp paribas is their parent company. Their parent company. They are the eight largest bank in the world. Amy dallas goldtooth, with the indigenous environment all network, you spent a lot of time in the last year at Standing Rock. As this year come at this moment, we are seeing the largest number of hurricanes ever in recorded history in this country. I think the number is up to 10, the last one named is ophelia, which hurtled the furthest east in the atlantic than weve ever seen and hit ireland. You were participating in a protest a year ago warning about the catastrophic effects of Climate Change. You were participating and those protests at Standing Rock, north dakota, where Indigenous People and their nonnative allies are continuing to go to court for their protests. It is absurd that were facing this time of extreme climate they also. You are fires. Yet hurricanes. You flooding all across this world. Yet Mainstream Society and news is not makaking the connection between these extreme events and Climate Change. I think for those of us that are on the frontlines of these five, we realize the extreme dangers of Climate Change because it is literally t threatening the l ls of a lot of Indigenous People, ocean dependent peoples. It is time for r us to o wake ud make some significant changes that some of the otherer organizations here have e talked about anand the work thee ian d. And you just people have often been at the front of the struggles not only to protect the environment and land, but our rightsts to have a sacred relationship with mother earth itself and protect our right to selfdetermination. Whether youre talking brother hurricanes in the gulf coast or or level rise e up in a alaska even talking about pipelinines r even the fires a and Northern California, is often Indigenous Peoples and those areas who are also carrying a significant amountnt of weight. Amy talk k about the land we ae on right now. , in rent in m marin county. We are in marin county. Of usus in santa rosa, california, which just got , aimateted by a massive fire tribe in the area, lots of troublmemembers hahave been displaced from their own territities becaususe of firese. It i is connecteded to people ie gulf goes they got hit by hurricanes weather in texas or louisiana. Feeling the same emotions in n e same loss, and saying this has to stop what we dont know how to do it. I think that is where the organizations that we work with are really raising alarms of mate change are essential that are really raising alarms of Climate Change are essential. Carrying the brunt of a lot of this Climate Chaos in an unfair way. Amy when Hurricane Harvey devastated houston, this was september 6, and irma was hurtling toward the United States, alreready devastating parts of the caribbean, dan,dent trump went to man north dakota, to give a speech. He stood in front of an oil refinery. He was down the road where hundreds of Indigenous People had been jailed and gone through house. Dan court he talked about well, he basically boasted about pulling the u. S. Out of the climate accord. He talked about how proud he was that they green lit the Dakota Access pipeline and the keystone xl pipeline. Peopleid the indigenous were going to court today stand in mandan . In Standing Rock was the largest mobilization of indigenous resistance in living memory for a lot of our communities and northern america. At one point we were the six largest city in north dakota. That is amazing to see the allyship. I know you are part of the arrests. Amy a year ago this week, the charges were dropped as the democracy now team went there on labor day to cover the protests and i was arrested for our team filming. I think what were seeing right now is just yesterday, there was a really absurd conviction that happen. There are so many cases happening in north dakota, they are pulling judges out of retirement to handle some of the caseload. One of the judges yesterday o of our water protectors to time in jail, even though the state, the prosecutors asked for them not to be convicted. Were seeing an Unfair Court System in place in north dakota that is s persecuting water protectors whose only reason to be there is to protect water and to protect indigenous communitiesright to selfdetermination. It is absurd were in that position now. It makes sense because it is this trickle down. If you have a tyrant in the blind, who iso is willingly blind to the effects ofof Climate Change and the effects of the fossil fuel industry has on the land, it is when a trickle down. Amy you are all involved in these a protests. Im wondering, may, very quickly, w where youre fococusg now . In the banks work, were fossil phild on divestment. Weve seen 520 and dollars in Asset Management made also free. Million inseen 5 Asset Management just made fossil free. The Financial Sector is very sensitive to this kind of pressure. That is what im glad we are working together on. Amy and the evidence of that . Were going after j. P. Morgan chase. We know they are the number one finance europe the most extreme fossil fuels. Every year we do a report card. Many big banks are decreasing their investments in fossil fuel and their increasing. Folks can be part of this divestment campaign. They can go online to check out the website for more information. A massive Global Divestment Campaign that is ongoing. Amy we want to thank you all for being with us. Lindsey allen, dallas goldtooth, and may boeve. That does it for our show. I will be speaking at marin and one gonzalez is speaking at princeton university. Special thanks to our crew here at the Community Media center of marin. Damion brown, michael eisenmenger, jill lessard, megan announcer this is a production of China Central television america. Lee Leonardo Da Vinci once said that simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication. This weeks full frame, guests are proving that simple ideas to foster change can have the most profound impact. Im may lee in los angeles. Lets take it full frame. Welcome back. See this bar of soap . Well, did you know it has the