Climate change activists block Washington's streets
Posted September 23, 2019 7:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) - Hundreds of activists blocked major intersections across the nation's capital on Monday, demanding immediate government action on climate change.
Under the banner of ShutDownDC, a broad coalition of activist groups sought to bring the morning traffic in Washington to a standstill.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested 26 people who were blocking the entrance to a major tunnel.
Elsewhere, about three blocks from the White House, activists parked a yellow and pink sailboat in the middle of the intersection with several protesters handcuffed to the frame.
Russell Gray, a member of the activist group Extinction Rebellion, said his group was OK with upsetting people "as long as they're thinking about climate change."
"We're here to disrupt business as usual," Gray said. "We feel that's our only recourse."
Washington police have a standing policy to avoid mass arrests of protesters, if possible. Even those protesters who had to be cut free from the sailboat with welding equipment were not arrested.
George Davidson, the last protester cut free from the boat, received a cheer and a series of high-fives from his fellow protesters.
"I'm glad to be doing this," said Davidson, who just graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in environmental policy. "If I have kids, I want to be able to look them in the eye and tell them I did everything I could."
A protester holds a sign that reads "Concentration Camps Should Be History" during a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest blocks traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
A protester holds a sign that reads "No Band-Aid Solutions! We Want Intersectional Climate Justice" during a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest blocks traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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Protesters hold signs that reads "Make Earth Great Again!" And "My Students Deserve a Promising Future!" during a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest blocks traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Protesters hold signs that reads "Make Earth Great Again!" And "My Students Deserve a Promising Future!" during a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest blocks traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Gabriel Shapiro, of Washington, is wrapped in caution tape that says "Climate Emergency" as he walks down I Street in NW Washington where traffic was stopped by demonstrations for climate action, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, in Washington, part of the 'Shut Down DC' protest to urge action on the climate crisis. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Two protesters riding bicycles with the group "Extinction Rebellion," protest by blocking traffic on I Street, NW in Washington, with the White House and Washington Monument in the background, during demonstrations urging climate action, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, in Washington, part of the 'Shut Down DC' protest to urge action on the climate crisis. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund members block traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Patrick Young, an organizer with Rising Tide North America speaks at a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest while blocking traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Patrick Young, an organizer with Rising Tide North America, speaks at a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest while blocking traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Sarah Otto and her son Ladon Westbrook, 7, right, attend a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest that blocks traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Sarah Otto and her son Ladon Westbrook, 7, right, attend a Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund protest that blocks traffic along Independence Avenue and 12th Street Southwest near the National Mall in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Associated Press
Protesters block the intersection of K and 16th Street NW, near the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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Washington traffic is disrupted near the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Associated Press
Climate activists participate in a 'Shut Down DC' protest to urge action on the climate crisis, on Independence Avenue near Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The Associated Press
Protesters block the intersection of K and 16th Street NW, near the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Associated Press
Protesters block the intersection of K and 16th Street NW, near the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Associated Press
Protesters block the intersection of K and 16th Street NW, near the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Associated Press
Protesters block traffic near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. A broad coalition of climate and social justice organizations are disrupting the morning rush hour commute. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Associated Press
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