A Demolition In The Humid Sun

*The Gulf Dominion; August 2035*

The crash of a mismatched yellow demolition claw punctures the stale, humid air as a gray excavator, rumbling like it's about to explode, closes on the eave of a roof. The weathered blue house, a ranch home from the 1980s, spits a cloud of dust and debris in response. Just a week ago, the house, designed for one but housing three families, was condemned by local authorities. While the area is on paper and according to international commentators under the control of a dominionist branch, white stencil lettering on the excavator's flank revealed the truth

"GULF PETROLEUM HOLDINGS"

As dominionist, anarchist, prepper, and federal government groups began to start fires across the Gulf states, business got scared. While the market was an unstable mess, there was always a demand for oil. In fact, maybe more so. Any signs of a slump in relation to the rise of electric vehicles was immediately countered by a new demand for petroleum to fuel gas guzzling armored vehicles.

However, this also put targets on any facility holding an appreciable amount of petroleum. While your neighborhood gas station often got by either hiring an additional guard or two- a service commonly provided by Christian-aligned local militias, or just closing up entirely, larger refinery and storage facilities began to up arm and link with local police. As the situation continued to deteriorate following an incident at an ExxonMobil facility in East Texas [LINK: wikipedia.org/wiki/2028\_ExxonMobil\_Refinery\_disaster], these security companies began to morph into something else- some of the most modern paramilitary organizations on the American continent.

Many went by generic names- such as our "Gulf Holdings Company", in order to avoid international suspicion. In reality, however, these companies, staffed with a mixture of former military, private security, and militia members formed authoritarian police forces in communities surrounding petroleum related industries that dotted the Gulf region. Additionally, flush with incredible amounts of money from international oil barons, many ended up better equipped than federal forces.

Our situation today stems from one of the company's perhaps least surprising pursuits- violent union busting. As many unions became functionally nonexistent as federal government control began to heavily fluctuate, any attempts at worker organization began to become prime targets. The house here had been tagged for "structural concerns" for over a year, but, so had every other house on the block. Such classifications are exceedingly common in impoverished suburbs, where the classification opens up the threat of a quick condemnation followed by an even faster demolition, that just so happens to start shortly after a worker begins to discuss labor rights.

As wages began to be depressed even further, a common sight is many families sharing the same house, as seen here. This makes the threats even more effective- one family member making the wrong small talk can lead to the destruction of a house harboring several families, who will happily exert peer pressure or even resort to violence to prevent that from happening.

Returning to our scene, a wall of old wood crackles and snaps under the weight of an excavator. The house, and many of the possessions inside, are little more than rubble now, as the former occupants standing outside watch helplessly. They will be put up in company owned lodging- a converted hotel some miles away, for a time- and for a price. Most of the family has already left to begin loading their belongings onto the truck that will take them to their temporary home, or begun trying to make arrangements with neighbors to try and lodge there.