Thursday morning, the Rocking Chair Rebellion rose up to blockade Citigroup’s Global Headquarters using 50+ rocking chairs and the moral power of elders led by Third Act
Citigroup has poured almost $400 billion into fossil fuels since 2016 and is the main banking target of the Summer of Heat on Wall Street
“Elders say keep it in the ground,” they chanting, many in rocking chairs, blocking the entrances to the CitiBank Headquarters.
“No more coal! no more oil, keep the carbon in the soil!”
“Dozens of elders risk arrest to bring their message to citibank, the largest funder of fossil fuel projects in the world. I'm doing this for my grandkids,” one said.
“Hey Citi, Get off it, the planet over profit!”
After the arrests, in which elders vascilated between cracking jokes and laughing, lecturing and imploring bankers to do the right thing, those who had not been detailed started to sing, “We need to build a better future and we need to start right now,” from Do it now - Sing for the climate - Bella Ciao.
…
“We’re on a planet
That has a problem
We’ve got to solve it, get involved
And do it now now now
We need to build a better future
And we need to start right now…”
Make it greener
Make it cleaner
Make it last, make it fast
and do it now now now
We need to build a better future
And we need to start right now
No point in waiting
Or hesitating…”
It felt like a strangely poignant moment ending a fourth day of protest in the financial center.
Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 AM elders shut down Citigroup with 50+ rocking chairs in the fourth consecutive day of civil disobedience actions at Citigroup’s global headquarters, kicking off the Summer of Heat on Wall Street. Senior citizens were taking action to make sure there is a livable planet for their grandchildren.
56 people were arrested today outside of Citigroup’s global headquarters in Manhattan at a protest attended by over 200 elders and allies. This brings the total number of protesters arrested this week to 139 over 4 consecutive days of disruptive mass civil disobedience calling on Citigroup to stop funding fossil fuels. Today’s protest, led by Third Act, was a rocking chair rebellion of senior citizens fighting to protect the planet for future generations. Protesters blocked Citigroup’s entrance with over 50 rocking chairs.
On Monday, June 10, 23 protesters were arrested outside of Citigroup’s global headquarters as 150 environmental activists blocked the entrance. On Tuesday, June 11, Orcas emerged from the ocean to sink Citigroup, and 33 were arrested. And on Wednesday, June 12, 27 climate scientists and allies were arrested — bringing the total number of arrests so far this week to 83. And this is just week one! This summer, thousands of frontline community leaders, youth, elders, and climate activists are coming together in New York City for a months-long campaign of relentless nonviolent civil disobedience. The movement’s main demand is for Wall Street to stop funding the oil, coal, and gas projects that are driving the climate crisis and the related widespread floods, wildfires, deadly air pollution, mass drought, and forced migration that kills and displaces millions each year. This is the first time in history that climate activists will hold an entire season of sustained civil disobedience protests targeting Wall Street and big banks for their role in fueling the climate crisis. The Summer of Heat will take place during what climate scientists are already predicting will be the hottest summer on record. With the conviction that cutting off the flow of money will stop the fossil fuel projects that are burning our planet, campaigners have set their sights on Citigroup after climate activists successfully pressured Barclays and HSBC to take steps toward ending their financing of oil, coal, and gas. Citigroup is the worst funder of fossil fuel expansion from 2016 to 2023. Since the Paris Agreement went into effect in 2016, Citigroup has poured $396.3 billion into coal, oil, and gas. Citigroup is the top banking target of the Summer of Heat and the first week of actions is focused on Citi. The Summer of Heat campaign follows actions in April when Black and Indigenous climate activists convened an Earth Day hearing confronting Citigroup’s environmental racism, which was followed by two days of nonviolent civil disobedience outside of Citi’s New York City headquarters. Previously, in September 2023, protesters also non-violently blockaded every entrance of Citi’s headquarters. Climate Defenders, Planet over Profit, New York Communities for Change, and Stop the Money Pipeline are convening the Summer of Heat, which has been endorsed by more than 95 environmental and racial justice groups, including Rainforest Action Network, 350.org, Indigenous Environmental Network, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Stand.earth, Friends of the Earth, and the Vessel Project of Louisiana. From the Bronx to the Gulf South, Black, Latine, Asian, Indigenous, and low-income communities living on the frontlines of the climate crisis – and the ones least responsible for it – face the highest asthma rates and staggering cancer rates while an unprecedented number of people are dying from heat waves. Instead of staying home and hiding from the heat, organizers are calling on all New Yorkers and climate defenders from across the globe to take to the streets and demand that Wall Street stop destroying our future.
Protests were taking place all over town. Some over the Governor’s backtracking on congestion pricing. Others took a darker, more ominous tone. On the way home from the action yesterday, I saw that one of the houses on my block had been spray painted red, with a symbol that like the Star of David, as well as the words, “Blood on Your Hands.” Apparently the home was owned by one of the board members or a staff member of the Brooklyn Museum. Police walked through the neighborhood looking for security footage about a hate crime. “Brooklyn Museum director, Jewish board members’ homes vandalized with antisemitic graffiti: ‘Blood on your hands’” reported the New York Post. “Can anyone tell me why the Brooklyn Museum in particular has been a target of pro-Palestininian protesters?” wondered writer Sarah Ferguson on facebook. “They don't seem more deeply invested in military or Israeli interests, so why has it and its directors been targeted at this level? Is it just because she and others are Jewish?” Many seemed to feel the same way, posting similar comments. “NYS pension fund, the UFT pension fund, lots of organizations have either direct or indirect investments in Israel and weapons manufacturers, so is the BK Museum just a high profile target? Or because its director and some board members are Jewish? This demo is certainly damaging to the cause of peace for Palestine,” Ferguson went on. It looked like the house had been marked, as others had been in the 1930’s. Or perhaps it was a foreshadowing of a townhouse explosion, similar to the events of 6 March 1970 on 18 West 11th Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood? Regardless, this had the makings of a backlash.
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