WASHINGTON — Climate activists across the District are planning to shut down D.C. Monday during the Youth Climate Strike Week of Action.
Youth leaders have called for the strike, and want to block key infrastructures and stop business-as-usual, "bringing the whole city to a gridlock standstill."
"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," a press release said.
Training sessions are being held for the #ShutDownDC movement, to "get the skills you need to be healthy and safe in the streets."
- #ShutDownDC Direct Action Training: Saturday, Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- How We're Going to #ShutDownDC: Orientation and overview -- Saturday, Sept. 21 from 3 to 4 p.m.
- #ShutDownDC Direct Action Training: Sunday, Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Know Your Rights Training:Sunday, Sept. 22 from 2 to 3 p.m.
- How We're Going to #ShutDownDC: Orientation and overview -- Sunday, Sept. 22 from 4 to 5 p.m.
Monday isn't the only day climate awareness is being raised. On Friday, 16-year-old climate activist led youths in 150 countries out of their school classrooms and into the streets to protest. The goal was to bring more awareness to the issue of climate change around the world and in the nation’s capital.
Greta Thunberg began her journey of striking school to demand more aggressive action from her Swedish government about the rising environmental injustice.
American citizens became more conscious of the topic when America became the only nation to decline being a part of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The protest is expected to be the largest mass mobilization in human history on the matter.
In D.C., the youth, also being led by some adults, walked from the White House to Capitol Hill. The walk that began at 11 a.m. ran until 2 p.m.
The youth climate reform organizations leading Friday's demonstration are Fridays for Future, D.C. Youth Climate Strike, Our Children’s Trust, National Children’s Campaign, among others.
For Monday's shut down, two-dozen affinity groups have come together to make plans to take action all across the District.
The four public meet-up locations include:
- Hancock Park/L'Enfant Metro Station with Rising Tide at 6:30 a.m.
- Folger Park with Black Lives Matter DC at 6:30 a.m.
- Columbus Circle with 350.org DC at 7 a.m.
- Farragut Square with Extinction Rebellion at 7:30 a.m.