Jessica Reznicek is a land and water defender who worked with the Catholic Worker Community in Des Moines, IA.
Listen to our podcast by Jessica: https://bit.ly/FreeJessRGandR
In 2016, she began to organize against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in Iowa. When the regulatory, political and even civil disobedience channels didn’t work, she concluded the system was broken. Then, she, and a fellow Catholic Worker, began to disable construction machinery along the pipeline route.
No one was injured by their actions, and the land was protected from the flow of oil for an additional six months. Months after that, she and her collaborator publicly confessed to their sabotage actions.
In February, Jessica pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Damage an Energy Facility. In June, the court designated her a “terrorist” and sentenced her to eight years in prison.
We speak with Alex Cohen of the Free Jessica team (@FreeJessRez). Alex is a climate justice organizer and rabble rouser.
Links//
- Support Jessica: https://supportjessicareznicek.com/
- Des Moines Register: Iowa climate activist sentenced to eight years in federal prison for Dakota Access pipeline sabotage (https://bit.ly/3Do0FTK)
- Greenpeace: Pipeline exec says whoever vandalized Dakota Access Pipeline should be ‘removed from the gene pool’ (https://bit.ly/3mJmRlg)