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Disabled Protesters Shut Down PG&E Headquarters over Power Outages

HeadlineDec 17, 2019

In San Francisco, California, dozens of activists, including many disabled protesters, blocked roads and shut down the PG&E headquarters for hours Monday, demanding the massive utility company stop its chronic power outages and invest money to ensure communities of color and disabled people are guaranteed stable electricity. This is one of the protesters.

Protester: “People rely on electricity to live. And meanwhile, PG&E hasn’t been maintaining their power lines and are giving money to shareholders. They’re not investing their money in actually making it safe. And frankly, utilities should not be privately owned and for profit; they should be serving people.”

In October, nearly 1 million PG&E customers had their electricity shut off as wildfires blazed across Los Angeles and Northern California. The unprecedented blackouts followed last year’s devastating Camp Fire, which killed 85 people — the deadliest blaze in California history. Investigators found that poorly maintained PG&E transmission lines sparked that fire.

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