wisforweasel: Blood Money

Before my paternal grandma, Francis (or Meme as the grandkids called her), was married she worked as a switch board operator for a oil company in Boston. When she passed, her only remaining asset was divided among the grandkids. That is how I came to be the owner of 32.22222 stocks in Chevron/Texaco.

My family has a deep emotional attachment to Meme's stocks and I was told I could never sell them, unless it was to a member of the family, and then I would just be transferring them. Each year, $60 gets deposited into my savings account, which I then donate to a charity of my choice.

However, when one of the crazy attorneys I work with told me he was suing Chevron on behalf of some Nigerian activists, I told him my dirty little secret: I'm a shareholder. He was ecstatic and told me that would come in very handy. This week it finally did, when one of the Nigerian plaintiffs used my proxy to attend the annual shareholder meeting in San Ramon. Protests were organized by the nice people at Amazon Watch and you can read about their efforts below. I love when I get to use my privilege to damn the man.

PRINT NEWS

Valley Times / SJ Mercury News: http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_9405887?

LA Times op-ed by Larry Bowoto: "Chevron should pay" (nothing about Ecuador)

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-bowoto29-2008may29,0,3012561.story

Reuters (Amanda Beck): "Chevron profits shadowed by human rights complaints"

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnN28414624.html

Updated version 5/29: http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN2845117720080528

KTVU / Bay City News (pre-AGM, focuses on the Tuesday press conference):

http://www.ktvu.com/news/16411797/detail.html

SF Bay Guardian editorial (pre-AGM):

http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/politics/2008/05/do_people_remember_chevrons_ab.html

CC Times George Avalos: