Legal Insurrection – by Mary Chastain
The way to not get people to your side is disrupting their daily routine, especially in an already traffic-congested place like Washington, DC.
The #ShutDownDC rally caused even more traffic jams in DC, including holding up emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks. Some videos show people throwing glitter and confetti because we all know they do not practice what they preach.
The Protest
The organizers targeted the busiest intersections in DC, which included “Farragut Square in downtown Washington, Columbus Circle near the Union Station train terminal, and Folger Park on Capitol Hill.” It led to complete closures at these intersections:
- New York Avenue is blocked at North Capitol Street
- Connecticut and K Streets are blocked
- New York Avenue and Florida Avenue
- North Capitol and Massachusetts Avenue
- 16th and K Street in Northwest
- 14th Street and Independence Avenue
News Center Maine printed DC’s policy on protests, which sounds reasonable:
People have the right to protest, but “reasonable restrictions” are in place to make sure everyone stays safe.
The policy states in part:
“…to protect public safety, persons, and property, and to accommodate the interest of persons not participating in the assemblies to use the streets, sidewalks, and other public ways to travel to their intended destinations, and use the parks for recreational purposes. It is the statutory responsibility of the MPD to preserve the public peace, to prevent crime, arrest offenders, and to protect the rights of persons and their property.”
Protesters used boats, cars, ladders, or anything else they could find to completely block off the streets. Some even chained themselves to the objects, which led police to cut them loose.
They wanted to “disrupt the systems that created and perpetuate the climate crisis.” One spokesperson insisted that climate change activists have learned the best way “to communicate the gravity of the climate change crisis” is to shut down a city.
Okay, bro.
Police arrested 32 people. Police Chief Peter Newsham said they will charge them with blocking an intersection. As of now, “that’s as serious as the charges get.”
So while these people cause disruptions and litter a conservative has actually done something that not only helps people but the environment.
Our wonderful environment and science expert Leslie Eastman has written about Scott Presler, who is also known as #ThePersistence. Instead of complaining and doing nothing, Presler went to Baltimore and Los Angeles to pick up the trash.
Social Media
Of course people flooded Twitter with pictures, videos, and reactions.
See them here: https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/09/shutdowndc-climate-change-protest-interrupts-morning-commute-blocking-emergency-vehicles/
And hardly one of them ever looked up and asked themselves “what are they spraying on us?”