Throwback Thursday – Marius Arrested at the 1988 Detroit Waste Incinerator Protest

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The Great Detroit Incinerator Battle: Civil Disobedience – May 16, 1988 from Joel David Silvers on Vimeo.

A real gem of resistance history has surfaced. At 12:17 Marius is interviewed through the window of the city jail bus about to cart off members of the Evergreen Alliance who had been arrested for blocking the street in front of the world’s largest trash incinerator. Also gotta love at 12:53 when he calls out “We’ll be back!!”

The incinerator plant was built in 1986 and in response the Evergreen Alliance, a group of environmental activists and local residents formed. They carried civil disobedience, creative protests, and other forms of resistance in attempts to shut down the plant. While their efforts were unsuccessful, the criticisms launched against the plant were dead on.

The plant has been one of the worst polluters in Wayne County for years, and contrary to the city’s claims that the plant would bring economic prosperity to the community it instead left Detroit residents paying over $1.2 billion.

The plant continues to be fought to this day. More information on the Incinerator can be found at http://zerowastedetroit.com/our-work/detroit-incinerator/. To join the ongoing resistance to the Incinerator check out zerowastedetroit.org.