The Stand Up to Factory Farms Coalition issued the following statement of solidarity ahead of a vigil Oregon Rural Action held Wednesday November 29th at 6 pm:
The Stand Up to Factory Farms Coalition, which represents 31 local, statewide, and national non-profit organizations, stands in solidarity with Oregon Rural Action as they call for further investigation into the fire Monday night at one of their organizer’s homes, and which destroyed another Oregon Rural Action organizer’s truck. Oregon Rural Action is doing incredible work to ensure that everyone has access to clean water during the ongoing public health crisis in Morrow County and to hold polluters accountable for their ongoing contamination of local drinking water. This work has helped inform local community members and has gotten the attention of the news media, legislators, state agencies, and regulated industries. To close the investigation so quickly despite these circumstances shows a concerning lack of care for the safety of community leaders. We need our state, county, and municipal authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause of this fire to ensure community members are safe and are not being targeted for raising the alarm about the unsafe levels of nitrates in their drinking water wells. We will also continue to support Oregon Rural Action and residents in any way we can in their fight for clean drinking water and to hold industry accountable for their ongoing pollution.
Stand Up to Factory Farms 