Dear friends,
The best news I can bring is that there are young people working to save us all. I’m not just talking about my own springling, who is deep in the struggle to save the planet from climate catastrophe, or my own students, who blew my mind last week when they wrote about the issues that matter to them and the changes they want to see.
Three high school students started a new group called The Tube. They’re trying to end traffic violence and
make our city’s bike infrastructure safer and greener for the next generation.
The first protest organized by The Tube, 10/23/21. Photograph by Stanley Greenberg
Climate protesters from Extinction Rebellion and the Sunrise Movement blocked the Westside Highway and FDR Drive yesterday to send a message about the climate emergency. Carrying a banner that read “OUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE,” XR protesters tweeted
Dear commuters: we are interrupting traffic this morning not to annoy you, but to force the public to confront the true dangers of unchecked climate change. If we do not act today, if @potus does not act today, NYC will be underwater by 2100. It's a matter of life and death.
The Sunrise Movement tweeted
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
There were 45 arrests, of course, since nothing is more sacred than the free flow of traffic and commerce. But wait!
Last night’s protest against the ‘tyranny’ of vaccination mandates for city employees brought thousands of city workers, including many police and firefighters flaunting their station and precinct numbers; they shut down the Brooklyn Bridge. There were no reports of kettling or arrests on the bridge.
Contact the mayor and your city council rep about the double standard. A ready-made message is provided.
Last week, the mayor announce that the city's five pension funds, with hundreds of Billions in assets, will redirect investments to clean energy and out of fossil fuel projects. AOC came out for the announcement, as she has been driving this train.
I’m keeping it short today because I got in very late.
with love,
L