Gallons of Grief: Thoughts on the Gulf Gusher

A little more than a week ago, NWF’s John Hammond set out on a tour of the Gulf of Mexico to survey the impacts of the oil spill disaster. Starting in his home state of Louisiana and moving east through Florida, John has traveled hundreds of miles and talked to dozens of people about the oil spill crisis. Along the way, he has shared his account of the trip on his Gallons of Grief blog. For those wondering what the situation is like on the ground, this blog is a must read.

Here is a sample from John’s most recent post:

The battle for the hearts and minds of the American public has begun for BP. It will be a long and protracted battle that will be waged in private and public places. During my stay in Venice, La I had first hand experience with BP hires who were unwilling to say anything about working conditions, work objectives, or anything else that might remotely be perceived as negative towards BP. These people were trying to hold on to their jobs — and I get it, I really do. Here is the issue — in their battle for the hearts and minds of workers, BP has taken away the voice of those likely to have been most impacted by the gulf tragedy. Who speaks for the young Black men who were afraid to have their picture taken with me because ” ‘they’ don’t want us talking to anyone,” or the security guard who held/hid his/her badge from me when she confessed that conditions for the workers is too harsh and the hours are too long.

Be sure to check back at Gallons of Grief later this week for a final summary of John’s trip.

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