An insatiable hunger for justice outside Dow

Activist Diane Wilson is not particularly pleased with the Dow Chemical company. She is angered by its stubborn refusal to apologize for its 1984 Bhopal, India accident, which resulted in 20,000 deaths and 150,000 injuries. She is fed up with the company’s refusal to sign a zero-discharge promise.

And she is not shy about letting Dow know. On August 15, Wilson concluded 30 days of a hunger strike outside Dow’s Seadrift, Texas plant. Sitting in the flatbed of her rusty blue pick-up truck, Wilson had pestered Dow daily, handing out flyers, stating her demands, and reminding Dow of sayings found in its own conference room, like “If you make a mess, please clean it up,” and “No one should be a safety statistic.”

In an August 15 letter to Dow CEO Michael Parker, Wilson wrote, “For the last 30 days, I have conducted a hunger strike on behalf of the people of Bhopal and the bays and people of Calhoun County, Texas. Search your heart and not just the bottom line. Consider how to care for your company’s future and the victims of Bhopal…What poisons one, poisons us all.”

More than 1,000 people around the world, from Italy to India, joined Wilson in solidarity. (see http://www.bhopal.net) She received letters of support from Marlo Thomas and Danny Glover. She was joined in Seadrift by rotating representatives from UnReasonable Women for the Earth.

After her 30-day fast, Wilson climbed a 70-foot Dow tower and hung her 12-foot yellow banner that read: “DOW: RESPONSIBLE FOR BHOPAL.” For more info call Jodie Evans at 310-827-3046 or e-mail thebadbabes@aol.com.