'NO ONE IS STANDING UP' Oil frustrations lead local man to organize march on D.C.

Ed Berry is a nature boy who has cherished Gulf Coast waters his entire life.

Recently, Berry has had to sit by and watch the oil spill drama unfold.

He can’t take it any longer. Now he is ready to do something.

Berry is organizing a march on Washington D.C., which he hopes will take place the first week in July. Berry believes the march will be 100,000 strong. He bases his belief on the outcry he is hearing around him, and the impressive list of folks willing to back him.

Berry sent a letter out to his e-mail contacts this week, and posted it on Facebook to round up support.

So far, in addition to friends in the community, Berry said he has garnered support from environmentalist M.C. Davis, Destin city councilman Dewey Destin, Tyson Ritter of The All American Rejects, Dr. John Grandy of the U.S. Humane Society, and several thousand people he doesn’t know in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Florida.

Ritter sent Berry’s letter out on his Twitter account.

“Since making the post, I have seen an incredible response from all across the country,” said Berry.

The event’s mission statement can be found at the website www.reclaimouramerica.us, which will be updated daily.

“BP’s efforts have been about reclaiming oil as opposed to shutting off the leaks. Now we want to reclaim America from the hands of greedy corporations,” he said.

Berry said he is angry about the way the oil situation has been handled and wants the government to start working for the people.

“This has bad potential and has not been addressed properly. I love my country but am watching it in peril and in trouble,” he said. “I am seeing my business and property threatened and people in Louisiana being uprooted from their homes and not being able to make a living. This will also threaten those in Alabama, Mississippi, and other business owners in Florida making a living. If oil hits Florida, the state could go bankrupt. So, I am looking at ‘where will I be next year?’ I hear that from all business owners. We’re scared, but no one is standing up. The problem is more than this oil spill. Government has lost control.”

Berry and wife, Rachel Morgan, have owned and operated For The Health of It in Blue Mountain Beach for 15 years.

“Rachel and I started this business 15 years ago and called it ‘For the Health of It’ for personal and community health. We now feel we’re under attack,” said Berry. “We watched this oil crisis go on with no intervention. We have been lied to. We need to stand up as Americans and unite and let government know we’re displeased. We need to fire BP as far as trusting them to fix it. The American government should come in and take over. I’m seeing business owners scared to death and our business will be over with if the oil comes ashore here.”

Berry expects to be organized by June 1, and a full video production is in the works.

“I’m asking those who want to see change, whether Republican or Democrat, to come together to save the community, state, region, and country. This is not a political thing. I just want someone to solve the problem, and I’m passionate about it,” he said.

ANOTHER HANDS ACROSS THE SAND

Seaside restaurateur Dave Rauschkolb is planning a sequel to the offshore drilling protest Hands Across The Sand. The next protest is set for June 25 and will include area beaches and states as far away as Michigan, Alaska, Oregon, New Mexico, the Carolinas, Virginia and New York.

View a photo gallery from Hands Across the Sand »

To read about the protest in Destin, click here.