May 5, Omaha, NE. Klamath River Basin tribal leaders, Native American activists, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers and conservationists have just returned home to California and Oregon after disrupting Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska this weekend.
Karuk World Renewal Priest (Fatawana), Chook-Chook Hillman, Klamath Riverkeeper Regina Chichizola and Mike Polmateer of the Karuk Tribe were able to ask sharply pointed questions directly to Buffett about why he refuses to agree to sign a dam removal agreement. Each time Buffett passed off the question to Mid American CEO David Sokol, tribal members unfurled a big banner. Each time, security guards removed the banners and evicted those holding them from the meeting - and told them not to come back under threat of arrest.
After introducing himself in his native tongue, Hillman challenged Buffett by saying, as a European-American you are the visitor in our countrywill you not meet with the native people impacted by your fish killing dams. You say you want to address poverty and disease in the third world. But you are creating those same third world conditions right here in America. We want to meet and resolve the issue in a way that saves you money and saves our culture! Chook-Chook then presented a dam removal agreement.
After Hillman spoke, Georgiana Myers and Annalia Norris of the Yurok Tribe unfurled a large banner that read Klamath Dams Equal Cultural Genocide. The other banners proclaimed Buffett's Dams kill salmon, communities, and jobs" and Warren: Un-dam the Klamath - sign the agreement now!
Apparently afraid of further disruptions of the meeting, after lunch Buffett said he wouldn't take any more questions about the Klamath. Security guards denied commercial salmon fishermen Dave Bitts, Karuk fisherman Ron Reed, and Karuk Medicine Woman Cathy McCovey access to the microphones despite being next in the cue to speak.
Bitts, who had to navigate around a snow storm in Denver to make the meeting, was clearly disappointed and angry that Buffett refused to let him speak.
"I traveled over 3000 miles to be here and woke up at two o'clock in the morning to speak, then I was told I couldn't speak," he said. "The story I have to tell is that of an out of work commercial fishermen. Buffett spent a lot of time today explaining what he couldn't do for us. I wanted to ask the richest man on the planet what he could do for us."
Outside the meeting, members of the Chippewa, Omaha, Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne and other Indian Tribes stood in solidarity with members of the Klamath River Tribes and fishermen, holding banners and signs demanding that Warren Buffett agree to dam removal.
On the night before, a group of women from the Klamath River Basin Tribes, dressed in traditional regalia, staged a protest over the fish-killing dams during a cocktail party at Buffett's local diamond retail store Borsheims.
The 20 members of the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley Tribes unfurled a huge banner demanding, "Warren, Un-Dam the Klamath! Sign the Agreement Now!" They also leafleted the shareholders as they walked into and out of the event.
The two protests were preceded on Friday morning by a press conference featuring Leaf Hillman, Vice-Chair of the Karuk Tribe, Richard Myers, a member of the Yurok Tribal Council, Regina Chichizola, the Klamath Riverkeeper, and myself, representing recreational fishermen.
Although Buffett rebuffed dam removal advocates just like he did at last year's meeting, this year's actions made the Klamath River the largest single issue addressed at the meeting. The shareholders, the media and the public were made aware of Buffett's role in maintaining fish-killing dams on the Klamath. Now action is needed by Buffett and the shareholders to sign an agreement to remove the dams.
"Now we return home having accomplished our mission. We sent a clear message to Buffett, Sokol and every other executive involved that as long as there is no justice on the Klamath, there will be no peace for them," said Karuk Tribal Member Jess Mcloughlin who was involved in erecting the banners.
One distinct difference between this year's and last's years protests was the increasing awareness by the shareholders of the Klamath River dams issue. A number of shareholders expressed support for dam removal advocates.
"I want to thank the people who spoke at the meeting for educating the shareholders about the problems with the Klamath River dams," said Joan Merach, a shareholder from Menlo Park, California. "I think more people need to be educated about this issue. I appreciate what you're doing."
The group vows to disrupt Berkshire-Hathaway meetings around the country until Buffett agrees to remove the Klamath dams. "We came here last year and we will keep coming back to Omaha every year until Buffett signs a dam removal agreement," concluded Molli White, a Karuk Tribal member from Orleans, CA.
PacifiCorp, one of 60 Berkshire subsidiaries throughout the world, serves 1.7 million customers in six Western states. Berkshire subsidiaries include GEICO Insurance, Wesco Financial Corporation, See's Candies and Fruit of the Loom. Berkshire also has major investments in Coca-Cola Co., Anheuser-Busch, and Wells Fargo & Co. and other corporations.
