Shut Down DC, the organization that sought to bring Washington to a halt on Monday in order to fight climate change has announced plans for a second action, set for Friday morning. The group will target institutions “where the connection between politics, corporate interests and polluters is most clear,” according to a press release.
Beginning at 7 a.m., protestors will meet in McPherson Square to begin a parade throughout the streets of Northwest DC. Some of the named stops along the march include BlackRock (1401 New York Ave. NW), EPA Headquarters (1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW), and the Trump Hotel (1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW). The organization says it does not have permits for a parade.
Other stops and the route of the march have not yet been publicly released. A spokesperson for the group added that, given the quick turnaround from Monday’s action, Friday’s protests would likely involve a smaller number of people.
The spokesperson said activists were spurred to act on Friday when Monday’s action didn’t elicit a clear response from politicians. Citing suffragette, apartheid, and Vietnam War protests as similar actions with positive results, the spokesperson said the group will continue to “disrupt business as usual” until the climate crisis is appropriately addressed.
“We’ve tried petitioning, we’ve tried marching politely, it’s not working, it’s not getting our leaders’ attention,” they said. “The Vietnam War protests drew tens of thousands. We’re not at that point yet, but we’re hoping to get there.”
Jane is a Chicago transplant who now calls Cleveland Park her home. Before joining Washingtonian, she wrote for Smithsonian Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied journalism and opera.
