Tesla Protest in North Carolina? (Superchargers Blocked)

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By: Fred Lambert/Electrek.com

In what appears to be an act of protest against Tesla, a bunch of pickup truck drivers used their trucks to block access to a Supercharger station and reportedly yelled profanities about Tesla until they were removed from the premises.

The incident happened in Hickory, North Carolina last weekend.

A Tesla owner and Reddit user Leicina stopped to charge at the local Supercharger station located next to a Sheetz, but all the stalls were blocked by 3 large pickup trucks.

This is not exactly uncommon and it is referred to in EV community as ‘Icing’ a charging station – when ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles are occupying a space for an EV.

Most often than not, it’s a mistake from the driver or someone who simply doesn’t care, but the situation in Hickory appeared to be different:

It was certainly not a mistake and the pickup truck drivers actually appeared to be targeting Tesla in protest.

Leicina wrote about the incident:

“I’ve never had a supercharging experience like this one. These trucks blocked all the chargers, chanted “F” Tesla, and were kicked out by a Sheetz employee.”

An employee from Sheetz, who is in charge of the parking lot, ended making them leave at the request of the Tesla owner.

Leicina said that it “took them 10 minutes or so and one of them did that ‘I’m going to hit you’ maneuver after circling the parking lot.”

Electrek’s Take

ICEd charging stations are certainly nothing new, but this is a particularly extreme case of it.

99% of my interactions with strangers related to my Tesla vehicles have been positive and I think that has mostly been the case for other owners so I wouldn’t want anyone to think that this is normal, but it’s still worrying.

I guess it also depends on where you live.

Leilani Münter, a racecar driver, environmental activist, and Tesla owner, also lives in North Carolina and reported truck drivers coal rolling, basically spewing black sooty exhaust fumes, on her when she is driving her Tesla.

Leilani Münter

✔@LeilaniMunter

This is scary. I’ve been coal-rolled in my Tesla by several trucks in NC, the drivers were hostile. If you don’t know what it is google “Stephen Colbert Coal Rolling.” One day these conflicts will end very badly. @Tesla @hickorypd @StephenAtHome @cleanairNC @cleanenergyorg @CMPD

Mike Hoffman@McHoffa

@LeilaniMunter careful charging in Hickory. The ignorant people are aware of us https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/a8rl0a/ive_never_had_a_supercharging_experience_like/?st=JQ0DQJLU&sh=73d632fe …

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It’s hard to imagine the reasoning behind doing something like that or hating Tesla in general.

Even if you love gas-guzzling trucks, that doesn’t mean you should hate Tesla. I don’t know if something like this has ever happened to another car brand at some point.

I know that some American were insulting and shaming people who drove foreign vehicles back in the day, but I don’t know if it ever got to that point.

Speaking of that, what some of these morons forget sometimes is that Tesla is actually an American brand, creating a lot of American jobs.

I feel that the reason they hate Tesla is probably due to years of listening to the media back when they were attacking Tesla for taking subsidies from the government.

Of course, if there was any good logic behind their thinking they would go against pickup truck making brands like GM and Chrysler who not only took subsidies from the government but also took bailout money from them.

Somehow, I don’t see that happening.

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Teetering at the edge ( activist overload )

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I’m a baby boomer from the San Francisco Bay Area.  I’ve been involved in politics since I was fifteen years old.   I was fascinated by the students who attended UC Berkeley.  At 15, 16, the students treated me like an equal. Their passion was contagious. I participated in protests throughout the Bay Area.    I became that person who believed if you want change you have to get involved.   One can get a addicted,  Your in one group with a cause you feel passionately about and  someone from that group invites you to a meeting then another meeting and before you know it, your life is a series of meetings.

Its  7am Tuesday morning and I’m leaving work.  On the way home, I thought I stop by 16th Street Donuts and get my final Cinnamon Roll and maybe a final Chocolate raised because this week, unlike last week and the week before, I’m gonna buckle down and leave this white sugar shit alone!

As I drive into the parking lot, my cell rings.  I haven’t really wanted to talk to anyone but this is dear friend who has always has a funny story and right now I need loads and loads of  laughter.   As we are talking my phone is ringing,  calls from Colorado, Virginia, and Texas.  I look down and say no, not today.   I have a meeting in Stockton at 11 that I’m dreading.    An hour has passed,  I’m still in my car in front of the donut shop chatting. My friend is in good form,  I love his tales from the plant.  But it time to go….They are going to sell my Cinnamon Rolls and all the donuts are growing stale by the second and I need to go home and  change into something comfortable before the drive to Stockton.

Something’s wrong,  has been wrong for days maybe weeks.   I’m feeling anxious and close to depression accompanied by a dull pain in my stomach.     World War 3 with Korea is looming ,Putin was weighting in on the conflict asking for diplomacy.   This is serious!  I’m a world class talker, but I haven’t really wanted to talk to anyone,  and I’m isolating myself ,which is a clear sign of depression.

Most people would look for a quiet place to decompress or maybe a lively place.   I went on social media and found a obscure meeting in a rural area north of Sacramento. The community is poor and is concerned about the Affordable Care Act .  They feel they’re aren’t being heard by their elected representative.  This was in my wheelhouse, however like most meetings, this meeting deteriorated into we hate Trump.  After 30 minutes I took my leave.

Its the holiday weekend and I was looking forward to working my late night shift. Holidays and the week that follows are typically slow.  During the quiet moments I read the news or I blog.   I’m a news junkie.  I read everything.  Its important  to hear all points of view.  In some circles just the mention of Fox News or MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow will place you in the center of a storm.  People who have never seen either show attempt to place you in the L or C box.   I find this frustrating and unproductive as I listen to one group villianizing another and I’m often attacked at meetings trying to  present the other side.

Another source of my frustration is the fragmentation.  In the 60’s it was civil rights, which  includes rights for women as well as people of color.   When women marched in the 70’s in many parts of the country it included gay rights.   There are currently so many groups, marching for so many things I think its confusing for the public.  Many of these groups are not supporting each other and some of the reasons are petty.  You didn’t attend or confirm our event so we wont support yours.    Missing in this country is a single issue.  ACA united us, someone, somewhere knows someone, who is depended on the ACA.   No leader emerged, the Democratic’s party sang songs to the Republicans after the GOP voted to dismantle the ACA. .

There are some Democrats and Republicans who believe members of the other party are inherently evil. Who’s goal is to take away freedoms.  I’m of the mind unless we work together solutions will be difficult.

On route to the meeting in Stockton. I’m listening to Sirrus radio trying to avoid the news.  Switching channels I heard the news of  Trumps intention to end (DACA) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.  Within minutes I received texts asking all to protest in Tuscon and Los Angeles.  Truth is I know little about DACA, its just one more thing. In a series of THINGS!  My stomach is upset and my chest is hurting.  I just want to sit in my car with the AC on.  Its just too much, but I have a committeemen.

At the meeting, I’m not feeling anything, not hearing anything.  Someone grabbed  my shoulder and asks if I was alright?    Apparently, I’m crying and not aware of it.  I touch my face and its wet.  Suddenly, I noticed other people looking at me, some with tears in their eyes, FUCK!

I get up with the intention of regrouping in the bathroom.   But  I walk instead, to the parking lot to my car.  I realize I left my notes on the chair, it doesn’t matter.   I’m going home.  I get in my car,  I meant to turn right onto on Pacific to get to March Lane, but I turned left on Pacific by the Mall.   I started crying, and pulled into the parking lot.

I drove home and started crying again, now feeling sorry for myself.  Am I having a breakdown?   I lay on the sofa and drift off to sleep. When I woke up I went on social media.

To my friends, comrades I will not be attending any meetings for the next few days . Needing a few days of ME time . Sent emails out this morning. Perhaps a couple of days in the mountains.. I need BIG injections of humor #thenanny#Ilovelucy In a few days I’ll be ready for the next round. #DACA#Northwestend #resistence #projectkings next week. Keep marching. Sending Love

Crying brought clarity.  I’m overwhelmed, I’m associated with 11 groups, which is beyond crazy!   I’m frustrated and most of all I’m sad.   I’m usually comforting people at meetings at work, who are overwhelmed by the daily news.  I didn’t realize the events had taken a toll on me.    This has been a contentious eight months.    I decided to leave all the organizations to reset.    I thought about writing letters, but I’m a volunteer.   I have to find THAT single issue where I can be helpful.

As I told a friend, I’m not gone, I’m simply taking a break!

Activist never die, they’re simply waiting for the appropriate cause.

For now its about humor. After tonight’s viewing of Steven Kings “IT”

If you see a large black man screaming like Jamie Lee Curtis. well…..

Just one thing….  If your wearing a clown suite,  Don’t just Don’t  We don’t need to be the lead story on Fox 40 News

See you at the next protest

CityFella

 

The More things change, the More they stay the same.   Listen to this 40 year old album  featuring the Brilliant Lily Tomlin

Drinking Water for Oil (If your watching TV News then you’ve missed the picture)

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Oil Corp Funded Study: Fracking Not Contaminating Drinking Water

Bernie Sanders talked about it in September he said the oil would poison the water

sanders-pipeline.JPG

Presidential Candidate Dr. Jill Stein Protested

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Donald and Hillary avoided the topic.  Major oil companies want to pipe oil underneath Indian Reservations, Lakes and yes under the mighty Mississippi River that provide drinking water to population centers and farms.   Massive daily protests have been taking place for months.  Did you see it on the ABC,CNN, FOX ?  If only the millions of people who might be affected by a leaking pipe knew?   Fracking by the oil companies has already contaminated  water sources in several states.  Some bloggers believe the government is assisting the oil companies by keeping the story quiet.  Conspiracy ?

CityFella

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Dakota Access pipeline protests spread as firms defend project

 Protesters have a stand off with police during a demonstration against the Dakota Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Mandan, North Dakota, November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
By Liz Hampton Reuters/Houston

 

The companies behind the Dakota Access Pipeline asked a U.S. court to intervene in the fight over its completion as demonstrators fanned out across North America on Tuesday to protest the controversial project.

In what could be the largest demonstrations to date, people gathered outside Army Corps of Engineers offices, banks and energy companies, a day after the U.S. government delayed granting an easement for the pipeline’s construction in North Dakota. Police used mace and arrested several protesters in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, near the path of the pipeline, and the site of ongoing protests since the summer.

Energy Transfer Partners, the main company behind the pipeline, and its subsidiary, Sunoco Logistics Partners, filed papers on Monday night in U.S. district court in Washington, D.C., seeking declaratory relief to “end the Administration’s political interference in the Dakota Access Pipeline review process.” They noted that the delays have already cost them more than $100 million.

 
 Police arrest protesters during a demonstration against the Dakota Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Mandan, North Dakota, November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

 

The $3.7 billion Dakota Access project has drawn steady opposition from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe as well as environmental activists who say it could pollute nearby water supplies and destroy sacred historic tribal sites.

More than 200 protests were called by indigenous leaders in support of the tribe and to get the U.S. government to stop the pipeline, according to Dallas Goldtooth, a spokesman for Indigenous Environmental Network, one of the organizers.

Demonstrators got an early start at the main camp in Cannon Ball on Tuesday, as a black pickup equipped with a bullhorn circled the camp at 7:45 am central time (1345 GMT) asking people to get ready for protests.

“There’s a lot of bad things happening in the world and people feel like they have no control but this is a very direct example of how people can fight injustice,” said Austin Patrie, 20, who rode a motorcycle over 1000 miles (1609 kms) from his home in Kalamazoo, Michigan to take part in the Cannon Ball protest.

Police mace protesters during a demonstration against the Dakota Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Mandan, North Dakota, November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

The companies are seeking an easement to tunnel under Lake Oahe, the water source at the heart of the protests. On Monday the Army Corps delayed that approval, which was seen as a partial victory for the protesters.

The Army Corps said it plans to get more input from the Standing Rock Sioux in light of the tribe repeatedly being “dispossessed” from its lands in the past. Government officials have not said how long the process would take, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Construction of the 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline is nearly done. The only work left in North Dakota is the segment to run under the lake, Energy Transfer said last week. The company has been moving drilling equipment to the site in anticipation of being able to start tunneling later this month.

Energy Transfer has said the pipeline would be a more efficient and safer way to transport oil from the Bakken shale of North Dakota to the Midwest and onto the U.S. Gulf Coast.

“To propose, as the Corps now does, to further delay this pipeline and to engage in what can only be described as a sham process sends a frightening message about the rule of law,” said Kelcy Warren, Energy Transfer’s chief executive officer, late Monday.

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Did you hear Hillary or Donald Mention the Massive Protest in North Dakota?

Click Link For the Rest of the Story

https://sacratomatovillepost-for-hillary-and-donald/t.com/2016/08/30/dakota-pipeline-too-ho

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Analysts said Tuesday they still expected the pipeline to be completed. “What is less clear is the startup date, and the exact routes,” said Afolabi Ogunnaike, senior analyst at Wood MacKensie, a commodities consultancy.

Tuesday’s protests are taking place outside Army Corps offices and major banks financing construction of the pipeline, such as TD Bank and Citigroup.

In Houston, Texas, more than 150 demonstrators gathered outside ETP’s offices, chanting “water is life” as a jazz band played. Bridget Lois Jensen, a 53-year-old Houston resident, said Americans need to wean themselves off fossil fuels. She was not hopeful the pipeline could be stopped.

“Maybe the Army Corps will look at this, but this city and much of our economy are built on oil and gas,” she said.

The protests come as Dakota Access is expected to win the support of President-elect Donald Trump. He has expressed strong support for development of energy infrastructure projects, including oil pipelines.

Warren donated more than $100,000 to the Trump presidential campaign.

(Additional reporting from Stephanie Keith and Andrew Cullen in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, and Ernie Scheyder in Houston; editing by Andrew Hay and Jeffrey Benkoe)

Anger spreads to Sacramento

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In what , began in New York three weeks ago has spread to Sacramento, New Orleans and other cites across the country Thursday.

An estimaed 500 protesters marched from Cesar Chavez Park to the Capital.  Sacramento Police arrested some of “Occupy Sacramento” the protesters yesterday..

“Occupy” is a rapidly growning grass roots movment that began in New York’s Wall Street.  The intial protest in New York against Wall Street and large corporations started with a few hundred  protesters is now averaging 15,000 protesters a day.

The ultimate goal is unclear.

The Sac Bee said Members of an eclectic group of Sacramento protesters wearing everything from Abercrombie sweat shirts to Harley-Davidson jackets to Teamsters blazers offered few specifics.

GOP Candidate Herman Cain says the “Wall Street” protest are unamerican.   Wednesday, former CEO Herman Cain offered more criticism of the Occupy Wall Street protestors, saying that it almost makes him angry to see their street rallies. “Blaming Wall Street and blaming big banks, and blaming those that have succeeded in America under our free market system is never going to make you happy, and it’s never going to make you rich,” he said. “If you really want to do something to create jobs in this country, why don’t you go and picket the White House. That’s why where we have failed economic policies. That’s where we have policies that have kept unemployment up over 9 percent. You’re picketing the wrong source. It’s not those that have produced in this country. It’s the failed policies of this administration.”

Cityfella