South Bisbee is under seige by Freeport-McMoRan. The international mining giant is evacuating South Bisbee in order to do land reclamation.
Renters are being ousted. Home owners are being offered $50/square foot for their homes. Everyone who settles with the company must agree that neither they nor their relatives will seek any future damages against the company.
Last week, I posted a story and two videos about the goings on in this tiny border enclave, but the story continues to evolve.
Only one woman-- featured in the video entitled "A Hero in South Bisbee"-- has refused to settle with the company. In this video-- available after the jump-- you can hear Our Hero's reasons why she doesn't want to settle, but you can see a bird's eye view of tiny, green South Bisbee, surrounded by industrial mining waste. (Southern Arizona residents who may be living near the proposed Rosemont Mine, take note.) Outside of Our Hero's back window, there used to be a view of the desert; now she sees a mountain of tailings. No wonder the mining company wants South Bisbee residents to sign off on all future litigation. Living in houses surrounded by mining waste can't be good for your health.
Last night, [Ed: 9-07-12] the Bisbee City Council voted to support South Bisbee in their request for more time before they have to leave their houses.
Today, KGUN 9 on Your Side ventured to South Bisbee to do a story. Ironically, Freeport-McMoRan security showed up at the same time.
Check out two new LoneProtestor videos from South Bisbee after the jump.
"We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the most. During that period we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life." --His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
According to the latest press release by Freeport-McMoRan, all South Bisbee residents facing November evictions have signed the relocation packets -- except for one. When I drove through the tunnel to find the woman some have called "the hero of South Bisbee," I found a powerful discourse on the machinations of fear, the meaning of community, and a heart-centered consciousness of life.
-- LoneProtestor
Freeport Security, KGUN 9 and The Lone Protestor in South Bisbee
Things are getting interesting in South Bisbee. One day after the Bisbee city council voted to support South Bisbee residents in asking for more time before their November evictions, KGUN 9 News was on the scene, and I went to videotape. Although I've been there at least six times, this was the first time the place was crawling with Freeport Security. Here is how it all came together.
-- LoneProtestor
Crossposted at Blog for Arizona
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