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 30th 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.
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