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George Ellenburg (he/him/his)Today's social networks have become integral to how we communicate, share ideas, and engage with the world. The <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/fediverse" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fediverse</a> is no different. While these platforms offer unprecedented opportunities for connection, they also present challenges that can have far-reaching implications for society. One such challenge is the increasingly common knee-jerk reaction to <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/block" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#block</a> people with whom we <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/disagree" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#disagree</a>. While blocking can be an effective tool for managing <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/HarmfulContent" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HarmfulContent</a> or <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/harassment" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#harassment</a>, its overuse can contribute to a phenomenon known as "<a href="https://bofh.social/tags/FilterBubbles" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FilterBubbles</a>," which <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/EliPariser" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EliPariser</a> famously discussed in his TED Talk. The tendency to immediately block <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/DissentingVoices" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DissentingVoices</a> on social media is detrimental to <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/society" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#society</a> and underscores the importance of healthy <a href="https://bofh.social/tags/discourse" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#discourse</a>, even on topics that may provoke discomfort or disagreement. 1/7

DoomsdaysCW<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Lawsuits" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Lawsuits</a> Have Become the Weapon of Choice Against <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Activists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Activists</a>Legal intimidation suits known as “<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SLAPPs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SLAPPs</a>” are becoming the norm for private <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/corporations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#corporations</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/governments" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#governments</a> trying to silence those who speak out on matters of public interest.by Katie Redford July 17, 2023“On May 31, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Atlanta" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Atlanta</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SWAT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SWAT</a> teams with riot gear and battering rams broke down <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarlonKautz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MarlonKautz</a>’s door. Police dragged Kautz and two colleagues to jail in their pajamas, charging them with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MoneyLaundering" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MoneyLaundering</a> and charity fraud. “Kautz, Adele MacLean, and Savannah Patterson, are volunteer board members of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NetworkForStrongCommunities" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NetworkForStrongCommunities</a> Inc., which was incorporated in 2020. Through it, they are able to raise funds for the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AtlantaSolidarityFund" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AtlantaSolidarityFund</a> (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ASF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ASF</a>). Since 2016, the fund has bailed out people arrested in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Georgia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Georgia</a> while exercising their First Amendment right to protest and helped them find legal help. “Recently, the ASF has supported Atlanta activists who have been protesting a new $90 million police training center known as '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CopCity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CopCity</a>,' arguing that it will rob Atlanta of a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/VitalGreenLung" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VitalGreenLung</a> and increase inequality in surrounding neighborhoods. The state of Georgia, on the other hand, has charged dozens with 'domestic terrorism' for participating in largely peaceful protests. “Georgia authorities claim that the money laundering charge is based on evidence of a fund transfer to another organization, but they haven’t shared any other details about their allegations. Magistrate Judge Altman, who presided over the bail hearing, described the state’s evidence as 'unimpressive,' reinforcing the defendants’ claims that the arrests are politically, not legally, motivated. “Shortly after the arrest, Governor Brian Kemp announced that the state would go after everyone involved, and Attorney General Chris Carr tweeted that the funders of the bail and legal defense fund were next. As an executive director at a climate philanthropy who made charitable donations to the ASF for legal defense, I had to wonder: Was my door going to be battered down next? “Some of the accused may have trespassed or destroyed property, but to charge protesters with 'domestic terrorism' and a legal defense fund with money laundering is a cynical political act that bears no relation to the misdemeanors alleged. Any American committed to democracy should be interested in making sure these charges lose in both the court of law and the court of public opinion.“These charges seek to silence and stop opposition to an unpopular development project. They also telegraph a message to others in the state and nationwide: We will not tolerate lawful protest in Georgia. This strategy is known as strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP), which is an intimidation lawsuit, typically used by private corporations against those who speak out on matters of public interest. Various state governments are increasingly deploying this tactic, too. “SLAPPs don’t usually win in court, but that’s not what they’re intended to do. Instead, they set out to threaten activists and drain the financial resources of social movements. They often unfold as years-long wars of attrition, where corporations and governments with disproportionately large resources grind down the financial, emotional, and legal capacities of activists. The threat of such a suit—typically brought against individuals or groups that confront powerful people or institutions—discourages free speech and association, chilling democracy itself. “As a lawyer on the front lines of climate justice activism, I witnessed firsthand how a SLAPP was used to weaponize the law against free speech and association. During the mass protests by Indigenous water protectors and environmentalists campaigning against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, SLAPPs were used widely. “As <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StandingRock</a> became a global cause célèbre, the pipeline’s owners brought a $900 million <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/racketeering" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#racketeering</a> case against individuals and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NGOs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NGOs</a> like <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BankTrack" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BankTrack</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenpeace" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenpeace</a>, alleging a vast global conspiracy to damage the company’s reputation and bottom line through fraud and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/defamation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#defamation</a>. “A federal court ultimately dismissed the lawsuit. But despite its eventual failure in court, the SLAPP tactic served its intended purpose: intimidation. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/KrystalTwoBulls" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KrystalTwoBulls</a>, one of the Standing Rock organizers that my organization represented, said that being sued tangled her up, practically and emotionally, in a legal battle that diverted her attention, taking her away from her work on the climate crisis and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Indigenous" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Indigenous</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LandRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LandRights</a>. “She began to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/censor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#censor</a> herself; she withdrew from her community and the movement, fearing that conspiracy allegations might extend to anyone she touched. And that, of course, is the point of these suits: to send out the message to either shut up or suffer the consequences. “The case against <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Kautz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Kautz</a> in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Atlanta" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Atlanta</a> similarly seeks to spark fear in activists and donors against supporting <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FirstAmendment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FirstAmendment</a> rights and legal defense. There is reason to believe that prosecutors may also be preparing <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RICO" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RICO</a> charges against anti–Cop City activists, another dangerous use of the legal system to quell <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/grassroots" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#grassroots</a> movements. “Since Standing Rock, over 20 states have passed '<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriticalInfrastructure" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CriticalInfrastructure</a>' laws, which dramatically increase civil and criminal penalties related to protests at or near <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FossilFuel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FossilFuel</a> projects. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DomesticTerrorism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DomesticTerrorism</a> laws like that in Georgia have a similar intention: to weaponize the legal system against critics and stifle <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DissentingVoices" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DissentingVoices</a>. “I have no doubt that the majority of the domestic terrorism charges around Cop City will fail. But in the process, a political point will have been made, at the expense of the constitutional right to free speech. People protesting to protect the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#environment</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/climate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#climate</a> will have been publicly accused of being harmful to America’s security, and they will have been forced to defend themselves—likely at exorbitant cost—against a 30-year jail sentence. Other potential activists will surely remember these charges when they consider whether it’s worth it to attend a concert, sit-in, or protest. "The best strategy for stopping SLAPP suits in their tracks, whether they emanate from the private sector or are used by the state, is to keep speaking out, to support defamed activists, and to make the litigants pay a price. About 30 states have introduced legislation that protects against SLAPPs. And last year, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Jami" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Jami</a> Raskin introduced the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SLAPPProtectionAct" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SLAPPProtectionAct</a> of 2022 to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Congress" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Congress</a>. It must be reintroduced. “My organization, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EquationCampaign" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EquationCampaign</a>, created a fund to provide lawyers and legal support for people who face this kind of legal retaliation for their environmental and climate work. I’m astonished at the wide range of people who need our help: from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/farmers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#farmers</a> and ranchers to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/journalists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#journalists</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IndigenousActivists</a>. All of them are on the receiving end of David vs. Goliath legal tactics that have long served powerful interests with near-endless resources. “Absent federal protections, we all must be vigilant in the face of the egregious proliferation of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/antiprotest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#antiprotest</a> laws and lawsuits. “<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Democracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democracy</a> and the future of this <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/planet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#planet</a> require people to speak up. The law should serve—not silence—those of us who do."<a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/slapp-legal-intimidation-activists/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/slapp-legal-intimidation-activists/</a><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ForestDefenders" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ForestDefenders</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DefendTheForest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DefendTheForest</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StopCopCity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StopCopCity</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DirectAction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DirectAction</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Fascism</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RICO" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RICO</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriminalizingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CriminalizingDissent</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterProtectors" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WaterProtectors</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EnvironmentalActivists</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ClimateActivists</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ClimateJustice</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SilencingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SilencingDissent</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CorporateColonialism</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EcoActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EcoActivists</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Censorship" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Censorship</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRightsViolations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HumanRightsViolations</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Article20" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Article20</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RightToProtest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RightToProtest</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SlowMarch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SlowMarch</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#BigOilAndGas</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalRacism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EnvironmentalRacism</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDAPL" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NoDAPL</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DakotaAccess" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DakotaAccess</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingWithStandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StandingWithStandingRock</a>

DoomsdaysCW<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DakotaAccessPipeline" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DakotaAccessPipeline</a> Owner Slaps <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterProtectors" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WaterProtectors</a> with New Subpoenas -- Third-party subpoenas allow <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnergyTransfer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EnergyTransfer</a> to obtain evidence, from individuals or organizations, who are not part of the lawsuitEnergy Transfer attempts to drag <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Indigenous" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Indigenous</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EnvironmentalJustice</a> advocates into meritless lawsuit with third-party subpoenasThe operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer, is attempting to drag Indigenous and environmental justice advocates into this meritless lawsuit to stifle <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dissenting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dissenting</a> voices.By Greenpeace USA, via Censored News, November 27, 2023WASHINGTON – "In response to recent third-party subpoenas issued by Energy Transfer, which target Indigenous and environmental justice advocates, Ebony Twilley Martin, Executive Director of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/greenpeaceusa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#greenpeaceusa</a> said: “The operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer, is attempting to drag Indigenous and environmental justice advocates into this meritless lawsuit to stifle dissenting voices."'For over six years, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Greenpeace" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Greenpeace</a> USA has been fighting lawsuits brought by Energy Transfer over the Indigenous- led resistance movement at <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StandingRock</a>. This type of legal <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/bullying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#bullying</a>, known as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StrategicLawsuitsAgainstPublicParticipation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StrategicLawsuitsAgainstPublicParticipation</a>, is part of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/corporate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#corporate</a> playbook to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/silence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#silence</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/intimidate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#intimidate</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DissentingVoices" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DissentingVoices</a> who lack the financial means to fight these lawsuits. "Energy Transfer is now attempting to expand this playbook by targeting Indigenous and environmental justice activists through the use of third-party subpoenas. Now is the moment for us all to come together to send a message to Energy Transfer, and other corporations considering this tactic, that we will not be silenced and we will not tolerate legal bullying.'"'These legal actions are an insult to the many Indigenous water protectors who continue to lead the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline and the continual threats and degradation of their historic lands. These attacks are a threat to our First Amendment rights to speak out, a threat to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IndigenousRights</a>, and a threat to the rights of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#nature</a>. We will not let this meritless lawsuit silence us and distract our movements from all our work to win a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/green" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#green</a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/just" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#just</a>, and joyful future for all.' "Contact: Gujari Singh, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, gsingh@greenpeace.org, (631) 404-9977"Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PeacefulProtest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PeacefulProtest</a> and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa "Source: <a href="https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/11/dakota-access-pipeline-owner-slaps.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/11/dakota-access-pipeline-owner-slaps.html</a><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ClimateJustice</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Protests" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Protests</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Censorship" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Censorship</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NoDAPL" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NoDAPL</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandWithStandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StandWithStandingRock</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StandingRock</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/StandingRockSioux" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StandingRockSioux</a>

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