Tuesday 23 September 2014

MAJOR CLIMATE DEMONSTRATIONS IN NEW YORK

Flood Wall Street takes over NYC's business district


New York City police officers arrest a man taking part in the Flood Wall Street demonstration in Lower Manhattan, New York September 22, 2014. (Reuters / Adrees Latif)
New York City police officers arrest a man taking part in the Flood Wall Street demonstration in Lower Manhattan, New York September 22, 2014. (Reuters / Adrees Latif)
22 September, 2014

United under the “Flood Wall Street” banner, some 2,000 demonstrators streamed into New York’s financial district Monday afternoon and promptly sat down in the streets. 

The sit-in, which organizers say is aimed at confronting “corporate polluters and those profiting from the fossil fuel industry,”completely shut down traffic in the area. 

Just one day after more than 300,000 people took part in the world’s largest climate-related protest, thousands of more rebellious activists risked arrest to shut down part of New York City’s financial district to demand action against global warming.

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Hundreds have gathered at Battery Park for protest and sit-in


Activists, many of whom took part in the Occupy Wall Street protests three years ago, did not have a permit for the demonstration from the New York Police Department, meaning they risked arrest for participating. National Lawyers Guild members sprinkled through the crowd handed out legal advice to those at the scene, and several people have already been arrested.

Much of the route mapped out by organizers had been gated off by police, but around 12 p.m. EST the march moved from Battery Park, weaving through traffic before setting up camp near the Wall Street bull on Broadway.

Speaking with RT, New Yorker Zach Weinsteine said Flood Wall Street wants to “demand action on the climate process now.”


The time for action was actually 25 years ago,” he added. “The longer we wait, the more difficult the solutions will be necessary to solve the problem.”

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From the top of a sightseeing bus manned by a sympathetic conductor.



Among dozens of signs, waving flags, and elaborate costumes, protesters also brought along two giant, inflatable balloons representing carbon emissions. At two different points in the protest, the balloons crossed over the gates protecting the Charging Bull statue and were popped by police officers.


At another point, some protesters took over the top of a double-decker tour bus, waving protest flags and cheering as it drove past the sit-in.
Police have destroyed the balloon https://vine.co/v/O7JlrXYpwBm 

While the protest has generally been peaceful, Reita Ennis from Boston, Massachusetts, said that both the People’s Climate March and the more confrontational approach espoused by Occupy/Flood Wall Street were necessary considering the Earth’s current state.

I think civil disobedience is going to be an important part of this fight,” she said, going on to criticize a“do-nothing Congress” as well as capitalism in general for failing to curb the dangers of global warming. “Today is taking another step to show we’re serious.”

Numerous people explained their reason for joining the sit-in as a way to show solidarity with those affected by climate change. They added that taking part allowed them to join something “bigger” than themselves.
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Hundreds have gathered at Battery Park for protest and sit-in
Sam Coodley, an independent filmmaker and anti-fracking activist, told RT Flood Wall Street was necessary to show people taking more direct action.

[The People’s Climate March] was an incredible event, but there was a lack of closure,” said independent filmmaker and anti-fracking activist Sam Coodley to RT. Flood Wall Street is about directly confronting climate change “rather than marching and going home.”


Occupy started on a Monday like this and spread to every continent,” added Coodley, who traveled from Colorado for this week’s climate events. He acknowledged that recreating that impact may seem like a lofty goal, but “hopefully this spreads elsewhere” in the US and around the world.

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Aerial image of from http://ustream.tv/uneditedcamera  @Uneditedcamera
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crowd planted on the ground chanting "this is what democracy looks like"

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