Three Activists Arrested After 50-Foot Banner Hung From PECO HQ

Banner Posed the Question “Climate Is Changing: Why Isn’t PECO?”

Last week, before activists were arrested at Philly’s Democratic Party headquarters, activists from Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) dropped a banner from the west-side roof edge of PECO’s Headquarters building on Market Street during the afternoon rush hour. The group publicly demanded why PECO Energy Company, as well as its parent company Exelon, has continued to not take action on climate change by creating local solar jobs.

“This for-profit corporation and its leaders should be answerable to the public and answer the burning question our banner poses: Why isn’t PECO acting as a community change leader in response to the climate crisis? Where is the serious commitment to creation of well-paying solar jobs?”
EQAT Activist Walter Sullivan

The banner was visible to Philadelphia commuters in the 30^th Street Station corridor, and according to a press release by the organization, three activists were arrested and taken to a nearby police station as a result of the action.

The banner was a part of the Power Local Green Jobs campaign, a faith-based economic justice campaign begun in 2015 and led by EQAT. The campaign uses nonviolent direct action to pressure PECO, the largest utility in Pennsylvania, to spur job growth through solar expansion in communities with high unemployment.

Interested in learning more about EQAT and their work? Check out their website:

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Jones

Madeleine Jones, who goes by her last name, is the Editorial Intern at Green Philly. She is new to Philadelphia and recently graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, with a bachelor's in Environmental Studies and International Studies. Jones spends her free time with her nose buried in books, sampling Philly's vegan restaurants, fawning over her pet mouse, and filling out job applications.