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hello! many of my fellow Filipinos are still in need of help after they’ve been affected by the recent typhoons these past few weeks. So I’m just going to leave here this Twitter thread of donation drives and organizations you can donate to that have a PayPal
here’s a carrd as well for more ways to help + petitions you can sign + streaming links in case you can’t donate + more information on our country’s situation
Sean and Eireann Doolittle, and Braden and Brandi Holtby have each donated $10,000 for 25K meals to the Capital Area Food Bank, and are encouraging Nationals and Capitals fans to donate and match their goal. Donations will support the purchase, packaging, and distribution of food boxes for children and families in the DC-Metro Area.
If you have a couple spare bucks, consider clicking the two links above to donate! And also to encourage Sean Doolittle to throw baseballs at Braden Holtby in net.
This is relevant again, so I'm gonna pin for anyone in LA that needs it
[#evidence resources] for articles/papers that basically cite how awful the police is and for video/photos of police violence against protestors. I'm tagging videos and photos as [#video evidence] and [#photo evidence] in case you need to block, because I know not everyone wants to see that and it can be disturbing.
[#protest resources] for things that are specifically helpful for protesters, such as donation funds, advice and guidlines for protesting, bail funds, lawyers, protestors rights, things like that
[#mental health resources] for those of you that need a (well deserved) break
[#may protest] [#april protest '21] is kind of a catch-all tag for the general goings on and progression of relevant current events and things I think are important for people to know
[#protest advice] is advice for protestors that doesn't have a ton or any primary sources but still may be very useful and also serves as a general tag
[#donation resources] donations for the victims of racism and police brutality, separate from bail funds etc. for the protestors
Also, some posts I didn't really know how to tag so they're just a mix of tags I thought might fit
I hope this helps anyone out who was looking for something specific! I know I don't have a ton of followers and this might not have even been worth the trouble but you know what, if it helps 1 person I'll be satisfied
As many of you may know, the state of Kerala in India has experienced incessant rainfall this monsoon season, causing chaotic flooding and landslides across all 14 districts of the state within the last week. As a result all 35 dams in Kerala have been opened (something that hasn’t been done since 1984), and more than 25 bridges have collapsed. The loss of agricultural land, roads, and infrastructure alone account to more than 1.5 billion USD.
Unfortunately, as of August 20th, over 300 people have died and 633,010 people are staying in 2,971 relief camps due to flooding. Fisherman and other locals alongside the Army, Air Force, Navy,Coast Guard, and NDRF teams have rescued 38,000 flood-affected people in the last 3 days alone.
It goes without saying that the road to recovery ahead is long and tiresome. Many of those rescued have lost their livelihood, and most do not have a home to go back to when they leave the relief camps. Indigenous communities living in districts like Wayanad will be some of the hardest hit. Food shortage will be a worrying reality. Kerala’s thriving and pivotal tourist business will be set back detrimentally. Stagnant flood water will ultimately lead to numerous diseases that need to be controlled. The state will need to rebuild lost infrastructure promptly. Citing the reported losses and future costs, the Chief Minister of Kerala has requested the Central Government for 19,500 cr/195,000,000,000 INR (roughly 3 billion USD) to assist in the rehabilitation. However, they have only been granted 500 cr/5,000,000,000 INR (roughly 72 million USD). This is nowhere near enough.
I implore everyone with the means to, to PLEASE DONATE! It’s incredibly heartwarming to see that already people all across the world have united to help Kerala during one of it’s darkest hours. A little goes a long way and no donation is too small.
Below is a consolidated list (with links) of online donation options (for both people in India and outside of it); including Government, NGO/Business, and smaller country-specific fundraisers. I have also included information on who will be handling the donation funds, where it will be going to, and the easiest ways to donate from where you are in the world:
SCH End-of-Year CAmpaign!
PD: A girl stands against a white wall, wearing a traditional Indian sari/saree that is hot pink, blue, and gold with paisley accents and sparkly glitter. Her hands are at her sides, wearing blue bangles on her wrists. Today I’m sharing information regarding Sarah’s Covenant Homes’ (SCH) end-of-year campaign! The purpose of this campaign is to raise funds to cover SCH’s accrued outstanding bills…
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U.S. Navy Ignores Public Health Risk for Decades, Leading to Long-Feared Contamination of Honolulu Drinking Water
[originally posted on Wordpress]
14,000 gallons of jet fuel make its way to an aquifer that 450,000 urban Honolulu residents depend on, leaving thousands of homes uninhabitable. The leak shines a light on a crisis that had been decades in the making, and the U.S. Navy is at the center of it all.
80 years ago, the U.S. Navy rooted a top secret massive oil tank system on top of an aquifer in Honolulu. Today, these metal giants decay, with some going over 20 years without inspection, causing thousands of gallons of jet fuel water to make its way down into the aquifer below. This absurd negligence has led to thousands of families unknowingly using water with petrochemicals to drink from and to bathe their children with. Despite this, the Navy refuses to comply with state-issued emergency order to defuel the tanks. Petroleum poisoning symptoms reported by families include but are not limited to: skin burning, skin swelling, muscle spasms, headaches, stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea, as well as breathing, mental clarity, and mobility issues. One case reports a 3-year-old with an inflamed thyroid, hair loss and fatigue. All the symptoms mentioned came from people who were just conducting their everyday needs like brushing their teeth, showering, and drinking water. The blatant disregard from the Navy to the community has only been made worse by the suppression of vital information about the environmental and public health crisis they‘ve created.
Even though the Navy had confirmed water samples from the well showed petroleum contamination since July, they only admitted to what was happening after military families complained their water was smelling and tasting like gasoline, and when people started showing up in the emergency room with chemical burns in their mouths. There is even cause to believe the leak had been taking place since Spring 2021 given medical records shared by military families.
None of this came as a surprise to the people that have been calling for the removal of the fuel tanks since the tank system became public knowledge in the 90’s. The fuel has in fact been leaking down into the water source for decades; but from what it seems, the Navy never made a real effort to prevent it. As the crisis unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that the answer lies in defueling the tanks if they want to stop putting hundreds of thousands of people in peril.
The tanks are in terrible shape
"It has become increasingly clear that the Navy has lied for years (and as recently as the last few weeks) about the safety of its Kapūkaki (Red Hill) underground fuel tanks."
(Kaʻohewai—a coalition of Hawaiian organizations rising in defense of Kapūkaki, and dedicated to nurturing and sustaining the well-being of their water, land, and the life they support.)
The U.S. Navy Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility stores over 100 million gallons of fuel just 100 feet above Oʻahu’s primary drinking water supply. Built specifically for World War II in the 1940s, the facility is completely underground and holds 20 tanks (18 of which remain active today). Each tank stands 250 feet tall and 100 feet wide. *Here’s a really useful animation explaining the system and scale of the fuel tanks. The fuel tanks are in terrible shape, showing extensive evidence of corrosion and decay that the U.S. Navy admits is impossible to maintain. Records show that the facility has leaked at least 180,000 gallons since construction 80 years ago, including a notable 27,000-gallon spill in 2014. Even as recent as last October the Department of Health fined the Navy $325k for their failure to comply with environmental regulations. Despite all this, the US Navy refuses to defuel and deactivate the facility given rising tensions with China and Russia in the Indo-Pacific. Somehow, the Navy is certain that these decaying fuel tanks are a critical asset to national security despite the blatant risk to the the communiteis the military promises to protect.
Who is national security really for?
“For all of Hawai’i, this is the most critical threat we have had to our ground water resource. This is the kind of terrorist act and threat the military is supposed to protect Hawai’i from and here the military is the cause of it. We must shut down the tanks immediately.” -Dr. Kamana Beamer, Water Commissioner 2013-2021, of the @kaohewai coalition (x)
I live in ‘Aiea. It’s my land. To have somebody polluting my water, where I raised my kids... this is where I live. Some of these people come and go. Our families have been here for decades, for centuries, and we don’t plan to leave anytime in the near future. So this is important to me and the future generations of my family. We’re not going to give up our aina (“land”). We’re an occupied nation. We never agreed to this. American is a political status that I did not choose.” -Native resident Vicky Holt Takamine shares an apprehension not uncommon to the communities living in the affected areas. (x)
Although some of the military families affected have received some temporary “solutions” from the Navy, distrust persists as they continue to face anxieties, complications, and health concerns directly caused by the crisis. In town hall meetings, parents confront senior Navy leaders and express feeling betrayed and outraged as they describe how the Navy has failed the families “in every way imaginable, from dragging their feet on test results to telling them the water was clean to bathe (their babies) in”.
The U.S. Navy’s botch-up in Red Hill has also had rippling effects on job security inside and outside of the base. A growing number of workers are left jobless as multiple businesses are forced to shut down due to the water contamination. At the base, workers were let go with no mention of resolution, leaving only with an unreliable tentative date for reopening.
“I don’t know anything. I know they’re helping the military families, but I don’t know about the other coworkers. We work in the food court, but we’re not military families.”
- Anonymous Navy NEX food court employee
The lies continue today
State health officials actually became aware of leaks in 1998 when the U.S. Navy began testing the bedrock beneath the tanks for contamination. By 2002 the tests showed that all but one of the Navy’s tanks had been leaking. Additionally, a 2009 analysis by the Navy warned that a release of just 16,000 gallons of fuel from the tanks could potentially send benzene, a carcinogen, into the water supply. Overall, according to a Honolulu Civil Beat article, as far as we know, the Navy had been aware of the risks that groundwater contamination posed to drinking water supplies for at least 15 years at the time of the article in 2014.
”I think they’re used to getting away with whatever they want without repercussion. There are so many exemptions and exceptions for the military. For a lot of people, it’s shocking to know that they consider the community here just the cost of doing business, that it’s more important for them to be “mission ready.”
- Red Hill activist
Native Hawaiian and U.S. veteran Aedyn-Rhys King shares how his community informed the Navy that their water was noticeably contaminated and how the Navy’s response was to lie and deny. King also gets told by the Navy he is “only a veteran” so his family does not have access to the help available to active service family members.
As the Navy provides questionable sample test results, denies evidence that water had not been contaminated, and frankly gaslights residents’ experiences, the concealment of the full impact of the spills has only exacerbated the crisis. Had it not been for the levels of fuel being easily detected in faucets of schools and homes, or for reports of military families describing the air in their backyards smelling “like somebody poured kerosene all over”, it is likely the public may have never learned about the Navyʼs spills and coverup. The U.S. Navy has no other choice in the matter: to provide the security they promise the nation, they must deactivate and defuel the tanks as soon as possible. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people depend on it.
When asked what he would say to the military families living in the base that were also affected by the U.S. Navy contamination, Dr. Kalehua Krug of the @kaohewai coalition says:
“Join us. I feel for them. Our aloha is for everyone and everything. Our teachings from our ancestors is that everything human and non-human gets a place in the ecosystem. Everybody has mana. Everybody has spirit. Everybody deserves respect. (…) There is no ill will from our people. We are sad. (…) We feel for those ‘ohana. Join us. Come be a part of our ‘ohana, our family.”
Ceremonial Koʻa built by the Ka'ohewai to bring abundance of life. (Photo courtesy) (Ceremony Livestream on fb)
“In support of community-wide calls for the immediate and permanent shutdown of the Navy fuel tanks at Kapūkaki, we share here an image that everyone is encouraged to use (for non-commercial purposes) to demonstrate solidarity and commitment to this outcome. The image is called “Puʻu Wai” and was created by Kaipo Kīʻaha who describes this symbol here.”
Organizations
O‘ahu Water Protectors (carrd) (ig) (fb) (twitter) (sign the coalition statement)
"We are a coalition of organizers and concerned community members fighting for safe, clean water. Ola i ka wai. Water is life! #ShutDownRedHill"
Ka'ohewai (#ShutDownRedHill) (ig) (fb)
A new and quickly growing coalition of Hawaiian organizations rising in defense of Kapūkaki (Red Hill, Oʻahu). "We are dedicated to nurturing and sustaining the well-being of our water, land, and the life they support."
Kanaeokana (web) (fb)
A network of over 70 schools and organizations collaborating to strengthen Hawaiian education and grow the next generations of aloha 'āina leaders
Sierra Club of Hawai'i (web) (ig) (fb) (twitter)
With 50 years and counting under our belt, the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi is working to advance climate solutions, act for justice, get outdoors, and protect Hawai‘i’s lands, water, air, and wildlife. Through our tried and true grassroots advocacy, long-standing outings program, and public interest litigation we connect people to the things they care about in nature and help them better defend the natural resources they depend on.
HULI (Hawaii Unity & Liberation Institute) (web) (ig) (fb)
HULI was created to build capacity for our Hawai‘i-based activists and movements by providing trainings around organizing, nonviolent direct action, and movement-building for people in Hawai‘i. Our objective is to empower our community to struggle smarter, harder, and for as long as it takes to win.
‘Āina Momona (Hawaiian for the fertile or rich land) (web) (ig) (fb) (twitter)
‘Āina Momona (Hawaiian for the fertile or rich land) is a community organization dedicated to achieving environmental health and sustainability through restoring social justice and Hawaiian sovereignty. ‘Āina Momona has four primary program areas that the organization focuses on: ‘Āina (land and environmental health), ‘Ai (food and agriculture), Wai (water), and Ea (sovereign, resistance, and social justice).
Hawai’i Peace and Justice (web) (ig) (fb) (twitter)
We will create a more peaceful, just and sustainable Hawaiʻi and the world by working for demilitarization in Hawaiʻi and addressing the historical injustices caused by the military takeover of Hawaiʻi. We oppose military expansion and work for the transformation of militarized places into centers for peace, justice and environmental protection. Our shared values and principles include: Aloha, Radical love, Pono, Aloha ‘Āina, Peace, Integrity, Speaking truth to power / Kū’ē (resistance), Solidarity, Diversity, Nonviolence, Self-determination, Youth leadership
ʻŌiwi TV (fb) (web)
ʻŌiwi TV produces top-quality documentaries, news and multimedia content from a uniquely Hawaiian perspective. The wisdom, beauty and power of Hawai‘i are the backdrop to the most important and interesting narratives of our generation.
Stay Updated
Sierra Club of Hawai'i updates
Hawaii News Now
Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawai’i Peace and Justice (on facebook)
ʻŌiwi TV (on facebook)
Hawaii Public Radio Red Hill coverage
Khon2 News coverage (on youtube)
Additional Resources
JBPHH (Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam) Water Updates * After the Navy was caught ignoring DOH guidelines and trying to illegally flush contaminated water into storm drains, the Navy, Army, DOH, and EPA agreed to a “Drinking Water Distribution System Recovery Plan” complying with state law. The Navy is required to carry out daily reports, notify all parties and affected residents, and comply with water sampling.
List of resources for families impacted by the water crisis in Pearl Harbor-Hickam area
Timeline of events compiled by Hawai'i Public Radio
Collection of data, images, and sources by Sierra Club of Hawai’i (Read)
Special news report: “Tainted Water Crisis”. Collaboration by Hawaii News Now and Civil Beat (Watch on yt) (Watch on ig) (Watch on web)
Full news archive of Red Hill Coverage of Red Hill coverage by Honolulu Civil Beat since 2014
This particular article from 2014 stands out to me. It discusses relevant details about the tanks and gives a clear example on how the U.S. Navy’s negligence and disregard is far from new.
Historical data of tank releases (Read)
Article from Civilbeat.org touching on several points worth discussing such as: history of leakage, the economic relationship between the US military and Hawai'i, local politicians' priorities, commentary by Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele, among other topics. There's also a good discussion going in the comments.
Video posted on 2017 discussing the threat of the oil tanks at Red Hill by Sierra Club of Hawai’i (Watch on yt)
Interview with Ernie Lau Chief Engineer Honolulu Board of Water Supply at Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii.” Video length: -33min (Watch on yt)
Podcast by Empire Files. Interview with Red Hill Frontline Fighter: Navy Imperiling Life on O'ahu (Soundcloud)
Podcast by Empire Files. Abby Martin and Mike Prysner are joined by Lori Freshwater, journalist and survivor of the Camp Lejeune Navy disaster. Podcast length: -1:18:12 (Soundcloud)
Interview with Governor of the state of Hawai'i David Ige (Both audio version and transcript)
Facebook livestreams of the US Navy Virtual Town Hall Meetings (Watch)
According Official Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) Water Updates, Navy Region Hawaii's chief of staff, Capt. Darren Guenther, is currently hosting daily Joint Base Water Updates on the JBPHH Facebook page at 12 p.m. to address various topics involved in the Drinking Water Distribution System Recovery Plan
Member of O'ahu Water Protectors Tina Grandinetti breaks down the myths of US military necessity and reflects on how national security is a false promise. Video length: -4min (Watch on fb) (Watch on ig)
Testimony from military spouse and mother of 1yo whose whole family experienced severe adverse reactions. She expresses her devastation and disappointment to those in charge and calls attention to the Red Hill Fuel System. Video length: -5min (Watch on fb)
News coverage and account of Oahu resident of Kapilina Beach Homes, an off-base housing complex for both military and civilians, sharing the alarming effects suffered from petroleum poisoning (Watch)
“Sterling Higa: What Red Hill Says About The Decline Of American Empire” (Read)
Empire Files on the actions the US Navy is taking to avoid accountability
please take a look at this pledge, support if you can, and check out this NC-based organization! help bridge the gaps for survivors of human trafficking!
https://pledgeit.org/bridging-the-gap-against-human-trafficking
11 years ago I began learning about human trafficking through several events held at my university, Appalachian State. After a series of int
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