Bay Area Holds Anti-Chevron March

Bay Area activists are staging a five-day Anti-Chevron Week in Richmond and Oakland this week, with the 13th annual Anti-Chevron Day set to culminate on Sunday, May 17, in a festival and march in Richmond, according to organizers. Amazon Watch said community organizations, environmental justice groups and international frontline leaders were scheduled to take part in events from May 13 through May 17, ending with a public gathering branded the Fossil-Free Future Festival. The campaign is centered on Chevron’s long-running presence in Richmond, home to the company’s refinery on San Francisco Bay. Chevron says its Richmond refinery processes about 250,000 barrels of crude oil on average, while Contra Costa County describes the site as the largest refinery in the area, with capacity of 245,000 barrels per day. ### Why is Richmond the focal point of the week? Richmond is home to Chevron’s refinery, a facility that local organizers have made the center of anti-pollution and environmental justice campaigns for years. Communities for a Better Environment says Richmond residents live on the front lines of pollution from Chevron’s roughly 3,000-acre refinery and cites the Aug. 6, 2012, refinery fire that sent 15,000 residents and 19 workers to seek medical treatment. (amazonwatch.org) Chevron’s local footprint has also remained a political issue in the city. In August 2024, Richmond’s city council approved a $550 million settlement with Chevron, according to ABC7 and community groups tracking the aftermath of the deal. Communities for a Better Environment says it is now pressing for those funds to benefit residents most affected by refinery pollution. (cbecal.org) ### What exactly is scheduled this week? The Anti-Chevron Day website lists Indigenous gathering days on Wednesday, May 13, and Thursday, May 14, including ceremony, cultural events and public film screenings in Oakland. The same schedule lists an organizer conference on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, followed by a public panel at 5 p.m. on May 15 at the Richmond Arts Center featuring speakers from Richmond, Palestine, Asia and Indigenous communities in Canada. (abc7news.com) Sunday’s Richmond program begins at 11 a.m. with an Indigenous opening ceremony at Keller Beach, followed by a noon festival at Judge Carroll Park and a 1 p.m. “rolling concert, march, and rally,” according to the event schedule and partner postings. Rich City Rides lists the event window as 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and says the march is part of a “rolling festival.” ### Who is organizing and who is expected to speak? (antichevronday.org) Amazon Watch said the week is being backed by local, national and international environmental justice organizations, and its advisory names sponsoring groups including American Friends Service Committee, Arab Resource & Organizing Center, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Communities for a Better Environment and East Bay Democratic Socialists of America’s climate action committee. The event website and Action Network page also list Idle No More SF Bay, Oil and Gas Action Network, Greenpeace and Richmond Our Power Coalition among participating groups. (antichevronday.org) Organizers said speakers and participants would include representatives from communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Palestine, Asia, Canada and the U.S. Gulf South. Amazon Watch said the Richmond festival would also feature a community-built monument called “The Gift of Pride and Purpose,” which organizers plan to deliver to the refinery gates on a float that will double as a stage for performers. (amazonwatch.org) ### What are organizers saying they want from the action? Amazon Watch said the week of events is intended to draw attention to what organizers describe as the social and environmental impacts of fossil fuel extraction and to amplify frontline communities advancing alternatives to oil and gas development. The Anti-Chevron Day website says this year’s theme is “Joyful Resistance to Chevron.” (amazonwatch.org) Recent regulatory action has given organizers fresh material. In December 2025, the Bay Area Air District said it fined Chevron $900,000 for failing to properly monitor air pollution emissions at the Richmond refinery. Chevron said at the time that it viewed the penalty as excessive, according to the district and local news reports. ### What should readers watch for on Sunday? (amazonwatch.org) Sunday, May 17, is the main public date on the schedule, with organizers advertising an Indigenous canoe arrival, dancers in regalia, giant fish puppets, a monument float and a march to refinery gates in Richmond. Amazon Watch said media visuals were expected to include 35-foot-long Indigenous canoes and the rally route between Judge Carroll Park and the refinery area. (baaqmd.gov) The posted schedule says the next public milestone is the May 17 program beginning at 11 a.m. at Keller Beach and shifting to Judge Carroll Park at noon, with the march set for 1 p.m. in Richmond. (antichevronday.org) (amazonwatch.org)