Locals draw line in the sand over drilling

Locals draw line in the sand over drilling
Hands Across the Sand rallies beach-goers across the globe
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
Alifelong county resident was joined last weekend at the beach in Long Branch with many other concerned residents protesting offshore drilling in New Jersey.

Dozens of people hold hands for 15 minutes Saturday at one of the beaches at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, Long Branch, as part of an international protest against off-shore drilling organized by Hands Across the Sand. More photos at gmnews.com. ERIC SUCAR staff Dozens of people hold hands for 15 minutes Saturday at one of the beaches at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, Long Branch, as part of an international protest against off-shore drilling organized by Hands Across the Sand. More photos at gmnews.com. ERIC SUCAR staff Long Branch resident Shawn Torbert led the charge on the city’s Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park beaches on Saturday as part of the Hands Across the Sand movement.

The event, which was scheduled for beaches around the world, urged people to join hands for 15 minutes to protest offshore oil drilling.

Torbert said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a leading factor in the organization of the event.

“It is a statement of everyone getting together and drawing a line both literally and figuratively in the sand to try and prevent the type of catastrophe that we are seeing happening in the Gulf from happening again,” he said.

Top left: Anja Chatzopoulos (l-r), Sophia Chatzopoulos, 4, both of Bayonne, and Sandy Van Sant of Little Silver hold hands as part of a protest organized by Hands Across the Sand at Seven Presidents Park beach in Long Branch on June 26. The international event was held to protest off-shore oil drilling and to champion clean energy. Top left: Anja Chatzopoulos (l-r), Sophia Chatzopoulos, 4, both of Bayonne, and Sandy Van Sant of Little Silver hold hands as part of a protest organized by Hands Across the Sand at Seven Presidents Park beach in Long Branch on June 26. The international event was held to protest off-shore oil drilling and to champion clean energy. Torbert, who is actively involved in the Surfrider Foundation, a local nonprofit that works toward protecting the ocean, said growing up near the beach makes it important for him to protect it.

“I grew up here in Monmouth County, and I’ve been going to the beaches before I could walk with my family,” he said. “Protecting the coastline has always been the utmost importance to me.

“Even back in the ’80s when I was in high school, I was involved in Clean Ocean Action and beach cleanups, and I’ve been involved with the Surfrider Foundation for several years here,” he added.

Torbert also said that Seven Presidents is the perfect place for the protest to take place.

“My local beach is Seven Presidents so I figured we should do the same thing here and get as many beaches and as many people involved, and to get the locals to come out and see if we can make a chain of people up and down the entire coast,” he said last week.

Torbert said he thinks approximately 200-300 people, possibly more, participated in Saturday’s event at Seven Presidents beaches.

“It was difficult to count,” he said Monday, “because some beach-goers that were not necessarily there for the gathering decided to join the line to say ‘no’ to off-shore drilling and ‘yes’ to clean energy.”

PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Torbert said that the crisis in the Gulf is helping spread awareness of the issues.

“It is nothing new, I think it’s just what’s going in the Gulf has finally raised the awareness to the general public,” he said. “It is an opportunity for all of us to get together regardless of political affiliation to make a statement.

“No one industry should be able to put an entire coastal economy and marine and coastal environment at risk,” he added. “This isn’t about politics; it’s about protection of our oceans and marine life, our coastal environment and our coastal economies.”

Torbert said that after the event, Hands Across the Sand would make a political statement.

“We are actually going to be providing a petition,” he said. “Each one of the beaches involved with this is going to have a petition and we are going to ask people to sign it and then we will send it to President Obama.”

Torbert said the Surfrider Foundation is one of many nonprofit organizations involved with Hands Across the Sand, including the Sierra Club and Clean Ocean Action.

Torbert provided the mission statement for Hands Across the Sand: “To organize a national movement to oppose offshore oil drilling and champion clean energy and renewables,” the statement reads.

“These gatherings will bring thousands of American citizens to our beaches and cities and will draw metaphorical and actual lines in the sand; human lines in the sand against the threat oil drilling poses to America’s coastal economies and marine environment.

“To convince our state legislators, governors, Congress and President Obama to stop the expansion of offshore oil drilling and adopt policies encouraging clean and renewable energy sources.

“Establish legislation that creates tax incentives and subsidies to encourage the growth of clean energy and renewable industries for America’s future.”

Area Hands Across the Sand events also took place in Asbury Park, Monmouth Beach, Seaside and Brick.

Staff writer Adele Young contributed to this story.





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