Climate activists that were planning to “block key infrastructure” and bring DC to a “gridlocked standstill” on Monday morning managed to shut down at least 22 intersections during morning traffic.
Protesters have called for “a climate strike and global week of action from September 20th-27th.”
695 is a parking lot. Protestors have blocked NY Ave just after the 395 exit. 395 north appears to be shut down so I'm guessing all the exits are blocked
Good fucking luck getting around DC this morning! #ShutDownDC
— Berin Szóka (@BerinSzoka) September 23, 2019
Getting word that 22 intersections in DC, on Piscataway lands, are now being blocked by activists demanding a world beyond oil. #ShutdownDC #StrikeWithUs #climatestrike https://t.co/MKIT0njwbk
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) September 23, 2019
In a list of “demands,” the protesters called for a Green New Deal, respect for indigenous land, “environmental justice,” protection of biodiversity and sustainable agriculture.
These are our demands. It's about respect for our planet and the people who inhabit it. #ClimateStrike #ThereIsNoPlanetB #SystemChange pic.twitter.com/PjiZyOK4iT
— The People’s Party (@PeoplesParty_US) September 23, 2019
The protesters even parked a boat in the middle of Du Pont circle to halt morning commuters.
https://twitter.com/subversiveson/status/1176105540700839937?s=20
dupont circle is extremely shut down 👌 #ClimateStrikedc pic.twitter.com/hyYjn5hajO
— maps papi (@ian_villeda) September 23, 2019
#LIVE: Direct Actions Disrupt #DC to Demand Climate Action – #ShutDownDC https://t.co/yhlUiWoj07
— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) September 23, 2019
Our streets. Our Planet! Climate justice and worker justice now! #ShutDownDC pic.twitter.com/Ot8A7c5MNq
— Metro DC DSA (@mdc_dsa) September 23, 2019
The shut down was an organized effort by multiple groups including Rising Tide, the Democratic Socialists of America and Black Lives Matter.
We out here to raise the alarm. Climate justice is health justice. health justice is justice for Black people. #ShutDownDC #ClimateStrike pic.twitter.com/8PqZ4Qlvjy
— Black Lives Matter DC (@DMVBlackLives) September 23, 2019
The activist groups have been encouraging kids to skip school and join them.
“We will block key infrastructure to stop business-as-usual, bringing the whole city to a gridlocked standstill,” the event page for the protest reads. “Parents, workers, college students, and everyone who is concerned about the climate crisis will skip work and school and put off their other responsibilities to take action on the climate crisis.”
There have been multiple arrests during the protests, but an exact number has not been reported.
https://twitter.com/CCANActionFund/status/1176120784751910912?s=20
Folks are taking arrest to protest the climate crisis globally and the climate crisis in DC's Black community. #shutdowndc #climatestrike pic.twitter.com/1yTD0pPzaz
— Black Lives Matter DC (@DMVBlackLives) September 23, 2019
