100 Arrested Wall Street Sit-in

100 arrested at Wall Street climate crisis sit-in


Protesters chant as they are arrested at the intersection of Wall St. and Broad St. in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2014.

NEW YORK (AP) — A day after over 100,000 people marched to warn that climate change is destroying the Earth, more than 1,000 activists blocked parts of Broadway in Manhattan's financial district in a sit-in to protest what they see as corporate and economic institutions' role in the climate crisis.

Monday's demonstration was planned as a more confrontational sequel to Sunday's march, with many participants Monday deliberately risking arrest by obstructing traffic in the heart of the U.S. financial capital. Over 100 people, including a person wearing a white polar bear suit, were arrested Monday night after they refused to leave Broadway near Wall Street, police said. Most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct.

Earlier, the protest took a tense turn as the demonstrators tried to push past police barricades at Wall Street, sparking a brief clash with officers.


A protester sits on the street behind a barricade lined with police officers at the entrance to Wall St. in New York
, Monday, Sept. 22, 2014.

But by and large, police, office workers and tourists watched alike as the activists chanted such messages as "we can't take this climate heat; we've got to shut down Wall Street" and bounced huge balloons meant to represent carbon dioxide bubbles.

"I wanted to come specifically to disrupt Wall Street because it's Wall Street that's fueling this," Youngstown, Ohio, urban farmer and bread-maker Ben Shapiro said as he sat on Broadway by the famed bull statue. He had skipped Sunday's march, focusing instead on the financial system that he feels enables environmental destruction for the sake of energy and other industries.

"I'm going after the source of the problem," Shapiro said.

Organizers said the FloodWallStreet sit-in aimed to disrupt business in the financial district. Demonstrators didn't obtain a permit for the rally, police said, and participants such as Jenna DeBoisblanc arrived anticipating arrests as a way to underscore their message.

"If you're willing to risk arrest, it certainly demonstrates that it's something very urgent," said DeBoisblanc, a New Orleans environmental activist who sported a superhero outfit and green wig.

If Sunday's march was about building consensus around a crisis, the sit-in sought to take on institutions protesters hold responsible for it, said demonstrator Nicholas Powers, who teaches black and feminist literature at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.

Peppered with elements of performance art — one person wore a polar-bear suit, another Grim Reaper-like robes and a gas mask — the protest encompassed Occupy Wall Street veterans, anti-war activists who see climate change as a still bigger cause and residents of areas battered by Superstorm Sandy.

"We're really fighting for resiliency," said Alexis Smallwood, whose home in the Far Rockaway section of the New York City borough of Queens was flooded by the October 2012 storm.

Participants encountered barricades and a heavy police presence as they tried to stream onto Wall Street, home to the New York Stock Exchange, after several hours of demonstrating by the bull statue nearby. Some tried to push through the barricades, and police and protesters tussled as officers held the barriers in place, using pepper spray. Police said no injuries were reported.

The barricades stayed. So did hundreds of demonstrators, who continued sitting and standing outside the barriers, on Broadway.


Protesters, including one dressed as a polar bear, sit at the intersection of Wall St. and Broad St. in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2014.

Some bystanders took the disruption in stride: "Every time I come here, there's somebody here protesting," said Matilde Soligno, visiting from Bologna, Italy.

But others were skeptical about what the protest stood to accomplish.

"These people aren't convincing me of anything," said Christopher Keane, a lawyer who works in the area.

"How did they get here today?" he asked, if not through some use of the fossil fuels they deplore.

On Sunday, actors Mark Ruffalo and Evangeline Lilly were among the protesters at the New York demonstration, the largest of many around the world urging policymakers to take quick action.

Source

"If you're willing to risk arrest, it certainly demonstrates that it's something very urgent," said DeBoisblanc, a New Orleans environmental activist who sported a superhero outfit and green wig.

Are we that removed from Captain Planet?

At least it was mildly entertaining propaganda when we were children, it was obvious then too though.

Are we that removed from Captain Planet?

Are we that removed from Captain Planet?

I wonder how many of those protesters drive gas guzzlers.

I wonder how many of those protesters drive gas guzzlers.

Shitty soviet union era cartoons

If you squint your eyes it looks like Woodstock.

We will all be broke and enslaved, or dead, long before climate change has any serious consequences on our well being.

I'm not saying its not important, but its not on the top 10 things to worry about.

You know what will change the climate faster? Nuclear warfare between Russia and the US. Where are the demonstrations against NATO's expansion north and the increased harassment of Russia?

We will all be broke and enslaved, or dead, long before climate change has any serious consequences on our well being.

I'm not saying its not important, but its not on the top 10 things to worry about.

You know what will change the climate faster? Nuclear warfare between Russia and the US. Where are the demonstrations against NATO's expansion north and the increased harassment of Russia?

Ocean acidification is a serious problem. Polar land ice melt is a serious problem. Increased weather severity is a serious problem. All things currently happening.

It just makes no sense to put a pin in addressing the issue when the even more serious consequences can be minimized or avoided altogether. You're in your 30s right? Then this isn't a problem for the next generation.

Scotland's already enslaved /sigh

I actually support what the protestors are trying to accomplish, creating pressure to try and produce greener companies etc, however I don't see what their protest did other than bring attention onto themselves. "Hi we cost you some money today, oh wait.. no we didn't because we couldn't get inside to disrupt your operations"... smart. Looks to me they only disrupted small local businesses on Broadway and not the evil corporate giant they wanted.

And while I agree a Nuclear war would *** us all up, I doubt that the US or Russia would actually launch a nuclear attack, because no one wins that fight.

If you want to make an impact Think of it this way, fossil fuels are running out in 30 ~ 100 years? Specially if you consider the rapid industrialization of china recently, we may see a world with very low carbon emissions within our lifetime.

The big push is to create cheap, greener energy, which the UK have done~



These are a very common sight in the UK (mainly because it's constantly windy), we have many of these out to sea. These protestors might kick off we're killing the planet but would they be wiling to pay the 2~5 times more money it may cost to use electric? As it stands the costs for renewable energy is very expensive and it's more of a long term investment.

serious problem.

I don't disagree. I am of the opinion however that within the next 10-15 years tensions between powers will climax.

Well, hopefully they can relax afterwards.