Jenna Pope

3-Day March for Education Justice – Day One

JennaPope — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:34:25 +0000

Today during the March for Education Justice on the West Side of Chicago. The mayor and Board of Education are looking to close 54 schools in the city, but the people are fighting back against it. Click here for more info.

Appalachia Rising Day of Action

JennaPope — Thu, 09 May 2013 02:16:25 +0000

Today outside of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC today during the Appalachia Rising day of action. They placed jugs of dirty, toxic tap water and water from streams in areas near mountaintop removal sites around the US at the entrance of the EPA. They sat there until Mary Stoner, acting assistant administrator for water at the EPA, came down to speak with them. She took a jug of toxic water from a mountain top removal site with her, and also took a letter that was written and signed by activists about mountaintop removal and agreed to review it. Click here for more info.

May Day 2013 – NYC

JennaPope — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:45:47 +0000

In the morning, the TWU Young Workers took to the streets of NYC to visit the offices of union busters and companies that TWU members have contract disputed with:

In the early afternoon, anti-capitalist protestors marched from Tompkins Square to Union Square, and there were several arrests:

In the evening, there was a large, permitted march from Union Square to City Hall that thousands of union members and activists attended:

_____

As a crowd-funded activist/photographer, continuing my work depends upon people like you donating to help me with living costs. Click here to donate, or click here if you wish to purchase one of my prints.

Spectra Pipeline Construction in Staten Island Wetlands

JennaPope — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:25:57 +0000

Yesterday, I visited the site where crews have already begun working on the Spectra Pipeline in Staten Island, NY. Richard Lynch, a Staten Island resident and environmental activist, gave me a bit of insight as to why the pipeline will be so destructive for this area:

“The site we visited yesterday is called the Old Place Creek wetlands and is owned by the International Speedway Corporation (ISC, NASCAR). It is about 700 acres (the size of Central Park) and contains many rare and endangered species of animals and birds. White-tail Deer, Coyotes, Red Fox, River Otters, Mute Swan, Bitterns, Moor hens, and any other species live on the site. A newly-discoverd species of frog has been found there and is critically-endangered. The maritime Oak Forest that grows there has found no other place and the clay bluffs they grow on were used by native Lenape people for thousands of years. The Spectra pipeline is being installed during the breeding season for migrating birds and likely is destroying many of their nests. Once buried, the pipeline right of way will be maintained as a mowed strip, permanently destroying the wetlands that are there now.”

Click here for more info on the Spectra Pipeline.

“U.S. Drones Out of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Everywhere!”

JennaPope — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:04:44 +0000

Today, citizens gathered outside of the White House for the “U.S. Drones Out of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Everywhere” rally and march. They held a picket outside of the White House, and then marched several blocks to General Atomics, a company that produces drones, where they held a rally and die-in. Click here for more info on drone strikes. Below are my photos from the day:

Outside of the White House.

A man holding photos of children who were killed by drone strikes.

Young boy holding a sign outside of the White House.

Outside of the White House.

During the drone protest outside of the White House, cops put police tape up in order to restrict the space we had available to use. The area was so small that we all wouldn’t fit in it, so protestors held it up for others to walk under as cops tried to pull it back down. The tape was eventually torn down, and cops didn’t even try to put it back up.

Marching from the White House to General Atomics.

Carrying “caskets” to leave at the entrance to General Atomics.

“Caskets” left at the entrance to General Atomics.

A man from NYC speaking at the protest against drones outside of General Atomics.

Rally outside of General Atomics.

A young boy laying on the ground during a die in outside of General Atomics. The sign in the back says, “Do the DRONES hear the cries of the children dying on the ground?”

Photoblog: US Supreme Court Takes up Marriage Equality

JennaPope — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 03:21:47 +0000

This week, the US Supreme Court took up marriage equality for the first time. Citizens from both sides of the issue gathered outside of the Supreme Court on Tuesday and Wednesday while the hearings were going on. A group of activists from NYC and DC, who are in support of marriage equality, secured an area right in front of the US Supreme Court around 3am on Monday, and held the space until others came on Tuesday when the Supreme Court hearings began. Because we secured that space, citizens who support marriage equality were able to be in front of the Supreme Court to rally once the hearings began. Others were camped out in line in order to get a seat in the courtroom:

On Tuesday, the US Supreme Court took up Proposition 8, which was a referendum in the state of California that amended the state Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Citizens who are against marriage equality marched down the street as citizens supporting marriage equality were gathered in front of the building for a rally with numbers so big that they also filled the sidewalk across the street:

On Tuesday night, some citizens projected this message onto the US Supreme Court building:

Today, the Supreme Court took up the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and defined marriage as heterosexual and prevented gay couples from receiving federal marriage benefits. Very few citizens who are against marriage equality showed up, but supporters of marriage equality showed up in force again:

Occupy Town Square/Strike Debt March

JennaPope — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:21:11 +0000

Photos taken today during the Occupy Town Square and Strike Debt march in NYC:

Harlem – A View From My Roof

JennaPope — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:08:47 +0000

Earlier today, the photographer in me go excited when I looked out the window of my 5th floor apartment in Harlem, NY to see spectacular clouds combined with the setting sun shining directly on the buildings across the street. I rushed up to the roof of my building and snapped these photos:

Old timey look.

Sky above, concrete below.

Motion.

Out. Of. Focus.

In focus.

Skyline.

Alive, Awake, and Ready.

JennaPope — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:39:40 +0000

I’m alive.
I’m awake.
I’m ready.

Ready for justice.
Ready for equality.
Ready for change.

Ready to struggle.
Ready to love.
Ready to fight.

I’m alive.
I’m awake.

And I’m ready.

#BrooklynProtest – 3/13/13

JennaPope — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 08:14:52 +0000

This week, there have been vigils and marches in response to the NYPD shooting and killing Kimani Gray in Brooklyn. I was there on Wednesday, and although the vigil and march started out peacefully, the cops decided to block us from using a crosswalk while we were on the sidewalk, and continued agitating the whole night. I believe that’s what we call a “police riot.” Click here for more info. Below are my photos from the night:

I was only able to photograph the beinning of the march since there was a quick end to my night when I was hit by a thrown object. An arrest was happening to my left, and I was hit on the right side. I received a concussion and was driven to the hospital in an ambulance where a doc put 5 stitches in my head. I have no idea what it was, or who threw it. If it was one of the many young, rightfully angry friends of Kimani Gray, then I honestly can say I would not be angry with them. Instead, I am angry that the NYPD shot 11 rounds at 16 year old boy, hitting him the back and killing him – which is what caused this outrage in Brooklyn.