Reflections on Climate Week, Hundreds of Protesters Storm NY to Target Leading Fossil Fuel Financiers, Risking Arrest during Week of Disruptive Protests Leading up to Climate Week #climateshutdown #citidropfossilfuels, #delayisdenial
Building up to and after the historic March to End Fossil Fuels activists from across the country will descend on NYC, with hundreds risking arrest to shut down global HQs of financiers of climate crisis. The following is a reflection on the days and weeks of direct actions.
Arriving Back in Brooklyn after a year away, it felt like we’d returned to a divided world.
No that it wasn’t divided in Berlin, where the activists regularly drew the ire of people on the street, gluing themselves down on thoroughfares, disrupting traffic, throing paint on banks, to draw attention to the climate chaos about us.
We heard about our friend Johanna facing prison time after an action in Washington DC:
Our kids went to school together years ago.
Its why we do civil disobedience training, to figure ways to navigate such actions.
Mom and I talked about people moving to find more hospitable psychic climates.
"There was every reason to get away from Columbus," said Mom, speaking about Carson Mccullers. "I dont think there is one... southern identity... there are many.... but can they co exist?"
As Frankie confessed in Member of the Wedding:
People leave, searching for new places, before they are forced to move again.
Looking around, it was hard to know where to turn. The world was changing faster than we could imagine.
“When Will the Saltwater Wedge Reach New Orleans?” wonderredMira Rojanasakul, writing for the New York Times, Sept. 28, 2023. “Saltwater is swiftly pushing its way up the Mississippi River and is expected to contaminate most of the New Orleans public drinking supply on Oct. 28. President Biden declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, releasing federal funds to Louisiana….The Mississippi’s current is typically strong enough to prevent seawater from the Gulf of Mexico from moving upriver. But it’s a challenge that gets harder each year as global warming causes sea level in the Gulf to rise while coastal subsidence causes the riverbed to sink. The equilibrium broke down as the Midwest endured another exceptionally hot and dry year. Freshwater river levels fell, allowing the seawater to march upriver.”
Floods and storms, hurricanes and hot summers, the world was moving and shifting.
Arriving back in New York, I heard about plans for climate week, just as we’d done every year. I recall summer 2014, back from Spain planning for the People’s Climate March and Flood Wall Street and every year afterward.
Ken gave offered a few tips on actions. Activists from across the country would be descending on New York to participate in a wave of direct actions ahead of the historic March to End Fossil Fuels, he told me, reviewing a year of climate activism in New York. Naked bike rides and museum disruptions, the activists would lead daily direct actions targeting fossil fuel financiers. Lots of glorious moments throughout climate week with hundreds of arrests, including getting arrested with someone dressed as a shark.
The wave of actions targeting the fossil fuel industry was part of a mass global escalation to end fossil fuels, with mobilizations occurring around the world, all taking place just days before the UN Climate Ambition Summit. At the summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded world leaders come with a commitment to approving no new fossil fuel infrastructure and bring concrete plans to phase out existing fossil fuel production.
All the actions seemed to lead to the Civil Disobedience action, September 18th after the historic March to End Fossil Fuels, the largest act of mass civil disobedience in over a decade, with hundreds risking arrest.
We met in Zuccotti Park, Cedar Street, New York, NY. From June 18th, 1999 with Reclaim the Streets to months of daily actions there starting September 2011. There’s a this is your life kind of quality, starting the day in the rain, walking to the traimn, eeting friends at Zuccotti Park for another mass action. Thoughts of flood wall street, when we filled Wall Street for hours, when they left us in the street for hours. Friends from years of actions converged in the park unpacking scenarios, plans, rain drenching us.
Standing in the rain, Alice oriented us. We are going to split into three teams, yellow orange and blue. We are going to move as groups. And engage in as accessible actions as possible. Be mindful of others. We are going for the lowest charges possible. We will move down Broadway. Take a left at exchange, to Broad Street. There have been hundreds of arrests. We are sending a message to politicians. Regular people understand the need. We need to get the politicians and bankers to understand, they explained. And we marched down the stock exchange, blocking the entrances to the fed reserve in one joyous gesture of civil disobedience, elder activists and new, pipeline blockers and war resisters, extinction rebels and food and water watch policy wonks, harm reduction and public health workers, queer activists and newbies, marching to the Stock Exchange where we were locked out and off to the Federal Reserve, hundreds of us, locked arms around the building, and continued chanting.
My favorite moment of the day was singing along with yana and these two young activists who took the bus up from North Carolina for the action. They were passionate and fired up and ready to sing, to feel it to embrace it all, the highs the lows, the feelings. It's a complicated task we face. We take on big targets, oil companies and banks, extracting resources for quarterly profits. We dont always win. We grieve for trees we lose, waterways polluted. The problem is that model doesnt work any more. Its polluted our skies and waterways with externalities someone else has had to clean up from the Gowanus to Newtown Creek, where exon oil lawyers are still delaying, evading accountability. Since the industrial revolution, our models of extraction of natural resources has left us diminished. Max Weber recognized it in Protestand Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, noting we’d work extracting resources, “until the last ton of fossilized coal is burnt…” We have to talk about more than our usual topics of socialism, said another activist in jail. There is another path. We may not know the route. But we see as we get there.
150 arrests, a mom and a daughter together, college students, anti war actiivsts screams ...fighting the means of production... fueling the carnage.... the climate clock ticking... bus ride to the tombs...recalling past heros ... sylvia rivera and leslie feinberg, gossiping with bob kohler about steven genden adn jim eigo, hanging with keith cylar,who told me if i count the number of cracks again on this wall, i will lose my mind, chatting with michael kink about keith, rip,...hanging with the rts crew...my union comrades... running into michael and savitri and alice and yana...all day all week ...occupy wall street... we need clear to breathe... not more billionaires
Climate week.
Savitri and Yana had a slice of pizza after we got out, chatting about how it all went.
@alice.anil, who took part in the action, posted a this note:
“Yesterday marked one of the largest acts of civil disobedience on climate in a decade. 110 people were arrested shutting down the Federal Reserve in the pouring rain. Every entrance blocked. Nobody gets in or out.While I wasn’t blocking any doors, the cops felt the need to arrest me for using a bullhorn to tell the truth about the Federal Reserve: that it’s lying about its responsibility to rein in the banks that are financing fossil fuels. Banks will continue to fund the climate crisis unless they are forced to stop by regulators. … P.S. To the NYPD: Arrest the real criminals, arrest the climate criminals. #KillFossilFuels
As Ken Schles put it:
“Banks will continue to fund the climate crisis unless they are forced to stop by regulators. Only the Fed has that power. A day earlier over 75k people marched in the streets calling on President Biden to follow the science, declare a climate emergency, stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry with $billions of tax dollars and end the leasing of public lands for fossil fuel development—which is at a historical high and counter to his campaign promise to categorically end the practice. This is the hottest September in recorded history following the hottest June, July and August. Fires and droughts are fueling food insecurity, migration and collapse of ecosystems on the land and in the seas.”
Sunday the 14th, March to End Fossil Fuels
Arriving at Columbus Cirlce, I joined some 75K people on the march, running into friend after friend after friend, Rise and Resisters, people at their first demos, Extinction Rebels, kids, elders, the Church of Stop Shopping, ray and jamie and jay from rise and resist crew, sharing stories about the our first busts decades ago, everyone encouraging each other, hoping to create something better with this city.
"That first arrest was in March 1993 blocking rush hour traffic in front of the INS Office on Varick Street protesting the detainment of HIV+ Haitian refugees at Guantanamo Bay," Ray told me.
At some point, everyone moved up to the front.
And then we were separated.
Walking, I ran into a group of students from @lehighu. We are here because thjs is an important issue they told me. It's not being addressed. It's important for our future. We want our elected officials to know we are paying attention. We dont need rhetoric, we need action, they told me. Do something. Act on the problem. Represent us, not the companies.get the money out of politics. Represent us, not the companies. They would march all afternoon. And then take the bus back to school to get ready for class the next day. Hopefully the world hears them.
Elissa Jiji took a pic of me with a sign with the image of a butterfly the good folks at the bio diversity bloc gave me. We are going to need a lot more biodiversity to get our selves out of this spot we find ourselves in. It's been nine years since the people's climate march, followed by the Paris Climate accords and Obama's exec orders on climate, then trump and the supreme court's reversals of the park and climate and biden trying to.make up for lost time. In the meantime the climate clock is ticking and we are still here pushing things in the streets.
Don’t drive yourselves into extinction, says @Wendy @green.map, who met me in Glasgow for the COP in 2021. All the banks, chase, citi, get out of fossil fuels said @gallagherdonal. Put your money into renewables. It's the end of the fossil fuel era. Humans can change this. We can change.
"Humans created this problem. And humans can fix it," said @elissajiji. And it has to be on a system level. In the meantime @green.map plead for us to save our snowballs.
Wendy, of green map systems, and I talked about all the years of activism, where we've been... what we've seen...the bike rides after sandy, the climate march that led to the breakthrough in Paris, the progress and the steps backward, the steps forward on the 30% principal for open space, supporting tropical forests after the COPs in Glasgow and Egypt.
In the meantime, our city was busy chopping down trees in east river park to protect us from climate change, Rev Billy reminded us, standing with a giant puppet of a fish made of plastic bottles, a striking beautiful, apt message about plastics and pollutants in our oceans.
Despire it all, a feeling of optimism is still palpable.
Wendy us still looking for those strange coincidences. I embrace the faaabulous unknown billy preaches about, the odd moments and possibilities that come our way, says Wendy. No one knows the future.
Public health students with protest signs with footnotes declaring renewable energy is sexxxxy.
Make our earth cool said some kids, holding signs along the protest route.
We want clean air, read another protest sign. Save the trees. We cant just say we tried, declared still another.
I hope the world us listenning. Thousands of us are marching and moving, fighting for better policies, some on the streets, others getting elected as @emilyassembly has done, fighting on the inside supporting policies to create a more livable safer, more sustainable city.
By Monday, the The NY Times was reporting that some 7.5 thousand had taken part:
“Michelle Joni, 38, of Brooklyn brought what she called a “dance hub” for the march — a converted school bus decked out with Barbie heads, stickers, a couch and a dance floor on the roof. “It’s like we bring joy and we dance and we create connection,” she said. “And that’s the fuel for ending fossil fuels.”
It was the peak of a week of actions.
WHAT: Protest to pressure MoMA to drop Marie-Josée as board chair, and rename the Kravis studio. Dozens of protestors aim to shed light on KKR’s funding of the climate crisis.
WHEN: Friday, September 15, 1pm ET
WHERE: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY
The college kid, no longer a teenager on their way between LA New York and Berlin, and I join the Climate protests for a demo at MOMA, now the most overpriced museum in town. "Its not art to kill water, to kill air. Those who put them on the board must be held accountable," say activists, concerned about the composition of hte board of directions. Its not clear what is next. Some stay outside. Many go inside the museum, with their banner, chanting waiting for hours before they are finally arrested.
Accoriding to ArtNews:
“16 Climate Activists Arrested at MoMA During Protest Over Donor Henry Kravis,” wrote ALEX GREENBERGER, September 18, 2023. “On Friday, New York’s Museum of Modern Art became the latest institution to be targeted by climate activists. The protestors’ aim was to highlight funding from one board member whose husband’s firm has invested in fossil fuel projects. Members of groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Climate Organizing Hub staged demonstrations both inside and outside MoMA. Some held a die-in before Refik Anadol’s Unsupervised (2022), the popular artwork making use of AI technology in the museum’s lobby, while others held signs urging MoMA to sever ties with Henry Kravis, who, with his wife Marie-Josée, have provided money to various projects there, including a Studio space devoted to performance art and moving-image work.”
WHAT: Protesters target Citibank, the world’s second largest funder of fossil fuels.
WHEN: Thursday, September 14, 8:30 am ET
WHERE: Citibank Tribeca HQ: 388 Greenwich St, New York, NY
Arriving before business started, we walked over to give Citibank a little wakeup. There, blocked the doors at each entrance to the Citi Headquarters. Stop funding fossil fuels, many declared, echoing the point from the banner outsider. Block all entrances. The workers in their corporate casual wear are pissed, trying to sneak inside. Workers there say they want to stop it. One man says he needs to get inside to stop these deals. You’ve had decades to go inside and stop this, I reply. Think about it for a second. Will they stop investing in these projects? Yes I will, he tells me. Yes I will. If you stop finding fossil fuels, we will stop. I’m not sure i believe him. Citi has invested 321 billion in oil gas and coal since 2015. And its backing more similar projects while it tells the world its addressing climate change. It doesn’t look like its about to stop. No one can get inside from 8 AM till about 935 AM.
Arrests start at Southern doors at 935 am. After the action at Citibank shutting down their headquarters, I joined Faith based leaders speak out about climate witnessing fir the community uptown.
And then back downtown to City Hall (Broadway and Murray St) to demand Mayor Adams release the rules to enforce Local Law 97 (NYC's Green New Deal for buildings).
Ken Schles wrote:
“Local Law 97 was passed in 2019 so that NYC could meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement mandating reforms at the city level to keep warming below 1.5C.
The bulk of NYC’s climate warming pollutants are emitted from buildings (70%). The law was written in consultation with all shareholder’s input and in consultation with scientists and building engineers. Upgrades to building systems to go fossil free are mandated and are phased in over a 31 year period. Since 2019 all buildings over 25k Sq ft have been analyzed and evaluated as to what work needs to be done within this time frame. Upgrades will pay for themselves in lower operating costs; grants and funding sources for upgrades have been established. 90% of buildings affected by the law are in compliance for the 2024 period.
Mayor Eric Adams NYC Mayor's Office wants to use administrative tools to gut the law to appease his big real estate donors by allowing building owners to buy energy credits to offset any real lowering of pollutants. This loophole and delaying enforcement for 2 years upends the law’s intent and integrity, allowing polluters to continue “business as usual” while Mayor Adams is in office. We cannot afford this delay while the world burns and lives are being shattered.
The world is at a critical juncture and needs to rapidly ramp down climate pollution. What happens in the next 5 years will determine the shape and fate of our future and the future for generations to come.
The time to implement this law is past due.
Weakening LL97 is morally unacceptable.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso Antonio Reynoso noted at the September 14th rally that our mayor offers the wealthy monetary breaks and concessions while the poor in environmental justice communities most impacted by pollution are forced to carry the heaviest burdens and suffer the worst consequences of climate destruction.
It ain’t right. Come and offer your thoughts during the 30 day comment period or at the hearing to be held October 24 by the NYC Department of Buildings
Posted @withregram • Food & Water Watch Wealthy real estate developers don't need relief. Tenants and the planet do. Local Law 97 needs to be fully enforced NOW, without loopholes or delays!
September 10th.
Pedal for the Planet
I rode uptown to TIme Square to join members of Extinction Rebellion. Arriving, about a dozen naked cyclists were busy insisteing the naked truth is we need to end fossil fuels. March sunday.
“Bare as you dare for the ultimate bike ride! This event is where cycling, cheekiness, and eco-consciousness collide. Paint your body, pimp your ride, and let your freak flag fly!
Less Gas, More Ass: We're not just riding for kicks; we're rolling for the planet! By pedaling naked, we're sending a bold message about slashing our carbon footprint by promoting cycling and protesting the world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels.
Body Positivity: Flaunt what you got! We're all about body love here, welcoming all shapes, sizes, and shades to join us in celebrating the stunning diversity of the human form.”
Making our way to Union Squre a few men start calling the protesters pedophiles and creeps.
We stop in front of the Climate Clock emphasizing the need to act now.
September 2
Museum protest at Museum of Natural history today wi @xr_nyc and @risenresistnyc
"Human pollution is causing mass extinction," chanted climate activists, standing in front of the long extinct Saurischan Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History. "We are facing the 6th mass extinction... the fossil fuel industry are causing massive climate breakdowns.... join us and march september 17th," chanted activists. "we all need the web of life to live" read the sign of a 17 year old from brooklyn.
On the way home I dropped by for a visit with Randy Wicker at his home full of mementos of crusades at the University of Texas, with the Mattachine Society, pictures with Sylvia and Marsha, standing with Harry Hay. "Thomas Jefferson was my favorite American," he told me. "But the inequality we see today is so bad we are tearing ourselves apart."
Finishing this story, its flooding on Carroll Street. Ken Schles is busy taking buckets of water out of his basement. Water is leaking through our ceiling, through subways and buses. Its been pouring all day, more floods, more rain. He posted a long rant:
“The climate risk is extreme today.
#f*ckMayorAdams for trying to weaken Local Law 97 — a law passed in 2019 to *try* and keep NYC in compliance with the Paris agreement.
This month you made serious moves to cut down THE most important climate law ever passed in NYC history. Some say the most important city level climate pollution law in the world….
You have some nerve, @nycmayor : walking so proud and noble sucking down your @rebny donor dinners.
Who pays when climate calamity hits?
Who are the ones who are held responsible for fossil fuel driven pollution when we are flooded out of our homes, drowned in our freaking homes, or the air is so thick with smoke it chokes us, when it sends our children into hospital emergency rooms with asthma or kills our elders with cardiovascular disease compounded by PM2.5 while sweltering in apartments?"
