20 Things You Can Do To Help Make Dow Responsible For Bhopal

1. Join the Global Day of Action For Bhopal

On December 3rd, the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, people from around the world will be participating in protests and direct actions targeting corporate criminals and corporate crime. Although many actions will target Dow Chemical, hundreds will not: actions are being organized against dozens of companies that violate human, environmental, consumer and labour rights. Find out more about the second-annual Global Day of Action Against Corporate Crime and register to join the action. For more information email: globalaction@studentsforbhopal.org.

2. Plan an anniversary vigil or commemoration

Put together a program that includes music, speakers and something participatory, like candle-lighting. Read the testimonies of Bhopal survivors (see here also), design a memorial or recite a poem in memory of those who died. Host the event at a local community center or outside the gates of a Dow facility near you.

3. Organize a protest at a Dow facility

A list of Dow’s facilities nationwide, including their locations, can be found here. Organize a vigil outside, rope off the fenceline with “ Crime Scene: Do Not Cross” caution tape (email rbodanyi@studentsforbhopal.org for availability), draw chalk outlines in the street outside, or attempt to meet with the plant manager as a delegation to express your concerns about Dow's continuing inaction in Bhopal.

4. Organize an educational event in your community

Invite a speaker from the international campaign, screen a documentary, arrange a photo exhibition, organize a public reading session about Bhopal or stage a performance of Bhopal, a play by Rahul Varma. Then discuss how to get involved! ICJB can help: for information about what we have available, see here or contact globalaction@studentsforbhopal.org.

5. Urge local organizations to support the campaign, or form a group yourself to join the struggle for justice

Approach organizations in your area and ask them for their support, or organize a group of supporters yourself. Then get active! Look through this list of ideas for suggestions about where to start. Organizations can also consider joining the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal: for more information see here. 

6. Pass a resolution in support of the campaign

The survivors of the Bhopal disaster have been fighting for justice for nearly 20 years; the least we can do is declare our solidarity with their struggle. Encourage your city council, state assembly, national assembly, or perhaps your union or similar organization to pass a resolution, demanding that Dow accept its responsibilities in Bhopal and declaring December 3rd, the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, as the International Day of Action Against For Bhopal. Draft resolutions can be found here.

7. Ask elected representatives to support the campaign

In July of 2003 eighteen members of the US Congress sent a strongly-worded letter to Dow, demanding that the company accept its moral and legal responsibilities in Bhopal. If you live in the US, find out whether your representative has signed the letter and, if not, urge them-­repeatedly and creatively-­to consider doing so. Additional sign-ons will place intense pressure on the company, as it raises the spectre of congressional hearings and subpoenas.

If you live elsewhere, write to your local representative and ask that they write to Dow or organise a formal statement on Dow and Bhopal.

 
8. Dump Dow stock, and urge your pension, retirement and mutual funds to do the same

Given Dow’s enormous outstanding liabilities in Bhopal, the company is simply not a good investment. When its other liabilities (Agent Orange; Dursban; DBCP; vinyl chloride contamination in Plaquemine, La; and dioxin contamination in Midland, MI) are factored in, it becomes a terrible investment. More importantly, it’s fair to ask whether it’s possible to ethically invest in a corporation that refuses to remediate the impacts of its own pollution, to the detriment of thousands of lives. Find out if your funds are invested in Dow, and if so, tell them to dump Dow’s stock.

 
9. Petition for Bhopal

Sign a petition for justice in Bhopal and urge others to do the same. Two petitions are available: a faculty petition and a union member petition.

 
10. Plan a fundraiser for the clinic or the campaign

Money is always a nice thing to have, especially when you’re battling a $30 billion company. Funding is needed to support the international campaign, the civil trial against Dow, the Sambhavna clinic in Bhopal, and essential development work for gas-affected communities. Host a benefit concert, a silent auction, or a community drive to support the struggle for justice in Bhopal. A list of more than 100 fundraising ideas is available on the bottom of this page. Or donate yourself, and urge others to do so.

11. Organize a call-in day

Call your nearest Indian embassy, ask for the Ambassador or a senior official, and tell them to press for the extradition of former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson. Contact the US embassy at Tel: 202-939-9806, Fax: 202-797-4693; the Indian High Commission in London, UK at Tel: 0207 836 5242 / 020 7240 0158, Fax: 0207 836 2102 / 0207 497 1136; the Indian Consulate in Hong Kong at Tel: 2529 1289;  Fax: 2865 4617.

Or call Dow Chemical, Michigan, USA itself at 1-800-422-8193 and ask them why they’re putting profits ahead of people’s lives and health. Find the number of your nearest Dow plant here.

12. Confront Dow Board members

If you're lucky enough to have a Dow Board member living nearby, they should be told­-repeatedly and creatively-­that Dow needs to take responsibility for Bhopal. See if you can arrange a private meeting with them, or present them with a list of demands, a sample of Bhopal water, or a photo of a Bhopal victim. Hold a candlelight vigil or a protest outside their house if they refuse to meet with you, and invite the media. For examples, see here.

13. Talk to the media

Garner media attention by writing an article about Bhopal for your local paper, asking them to do a story about your group’s activities, or submitting an op-ed column with a local angle (sample materials are available here). Write an effective press release for a planned activity. Or set up an interview for yourself or a member of the campaign on a local radio station.

14. Put Dow on Trial

Hold a tribunal and review the evidence. Stage it in a public park or community area and invite the public, local attorneys, and Dow representatives to participate. Take testimony, render a verdict, and notify Dow­-and the media­-of your decision.

15. Give Dow an award

Give Dow an “award” for its infamous legacy in Bhopal. The award can be as fancy as a plaque (ordered online for as little as $40) or as easy as a paper certificate. Or, present a Pinocchio nose (email rbodanyi@studentsforbhopal.org for availability) to congratulate Dow on their lie-ability. Give the award to a Dow representative, a recipient of Dow funding, or the “Dow Grim Reaper”, on hand to represent the company and accept the award. Don’t forget to invite the media! Then send the actual award and photos of the ceremony to the Dow HQ in Michigan.

16. Give Dow its blood money

Send some creatively designed “blood money” to the company to symbolize its continuing profits at the expense of human lives. Or if there’s a Dow facility nearby, deliver it to them or plaster the sidewalk outside their factory. Be sure to invite the media and take lots of photographs!

17. Organize a “Run for Your Life!!” race

Organize a short race to dramatize and re-create the disaster. Begin with a gas “leak” (perhaps outside a Dow facility) and urge the runners dash for safety. Dress up as the Grim Reaper, catch people as they flee, and give them death certificates at the end. Award the “survivors” (the winners) with “metals” symbolizing the continuing mercury and lead contamination that burdens the people of Bhopal. See here for examples and ideas, and invite the media!

18. Organize a poetry/art contest

Design a poetry or art competition around the Bhopal theme, and award prizes donated by area businesses. Host a recitation/exhibition for the public or send the winning entries to Dow.

 
19. Design a Bhopal Memorial

The memorial could resemble a war memorial (with a list of names) or it could be more symbolic (like a dry ice “gas leak” surrounded by a swathe of body outlines in chalk, a pile of body bags, or a funeral procession). Be sure to invite Dow and the media to attend and take plenty of photographs to send to Dow afterwards-­as well as any news coverage you may receive.

 
20. Volunteer for the campaign

We’re fighting one of the world’s largest companies, and we could use your help! If you have any special skills that you think might be useful, particularly research, graphic design, or computer skills, be sure to let us know.