WASHINGTON D.C.

The arrests are still being tallied, the YouTube videos posted, and cars returned from impound lots – all residuals of Monday’s No War, No Warming mobilization that sent ripples from Washington D.C. to Santa Monica. Peace and climate activists banded together on October 22 to engage in an historical act of nonviolent civil disobedience and creative demonstration against congressional and corporate inaction on the dual crises of war and global warming.

In D.C., approximately sixty people were arrested, a large number of them still cloaked in polar bear masks and furry jumpsuits. The protesters successfully blockaded four streets surrounding the Capitol despite a pre-emptive raid of the convergence center by police the night before in which a few were targeted as key organizers and arrested, and cars impounded to hassle mobilizers.

The following is a first-hand description of the day, written by Ted Glick of the Climate Crisis Coalition:

From 8 a.m. until 9:30 or 10, with action after action, we accomplished our objectives, which were to disrupt business as usual on Capitol Hill and send a message out nationally (and internationally) via the mass media that people are outraged that the U.S. Congress, almost one year after a (supposedly) new one was elected, has done nothing to end the war, pass strong global warming legislation or address the myriad of justice and survival issues facing the country that are worsening because of the war and the climate crisis.

It began with the 10-person polar bear contingent arriving like clockwork right on time at 8 a.m. at the New Jersey and Independence Avenue intersection where the mass media, following our outreach, were arriving, lots of TV cameras and still cameras and reporters. The polar bears moved to one of the main entrances to the Cannon House of Representatives office building and blockaded it. When forced to move by the police, they continued their demonstrative action, amplified by a portable sound system and creative raps and music.

Within minutes the Iraq vets group arrived to take the place of the polar bears blockading the same entrance. They refused to leave, and after 10-15 minutes arrests began.

While these actions were taking place, on the opposite side of the Cannon building, 25 people part of a “Separate Oil and State” action were blocking another main entrance and, in turn, being arrested for it.

Soon after the Iraq vets group were taken away, up came the Students for a Democratic Society contingent in their yellow Campus Climate Challenge t-shirts who immediately moved into the middle of Independence Avenue, a major through street on Capitol Hill, completely blocking traffic for what became 45 minutes. Chanting, “Resistance is Forming, No War, No Warming,” these 25 young people were a joy and an inspiration. The 100-150 or so people who were clustered along either side of the street began to chant, as the police moved in to start making arrests, “Arrest Bush, Not the Kids.”

After “the kids” were moved off of Independence and were slowly processed and loaded onto a waiting bus, and as traffic began to move again on Independence, all of a sudden a second wave of activists took over the street and again blocked traffic. I was part of this group, with six young people. We were all arrested within what seemed like no more than 10 minutes…

…And talk about inter-generational! A majority of those arrested were young people under 25, maybe under 22, while the grey head generation was respectably represented with other ages in between.

It was a joy to be part of this action, especially with the young people. In the words of Ella Baker, “Young people come first, they have the courage where we fail, and if we can just shed some light while they carry us through the gale, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”

DETROIT, MI

In Detroit, RAN and the Freedom from Oil team, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), students from Wayne State University and the Detroit Green Party teamed up to hold our own No War, No Warming action at a Penske-owned Toyota dealership. A 15-foot banner with the message, “Toyota: Driving War and Warming,” was dropped by Freedom from Oil’s very own Brandon Knight (Michigan-based Global Exchange organizer) and Aaron Petcoff (Detroit SDS) from the roof of the dealership. Down below, Oil Enforcement Agents ticketed gas-guzzlers such as the Toyota Tundra, “impounded” high-emitting vehicles, and performed drill routines.

Check out more pictures here!

The action culminated in yet another Oil Enforcement Agency mission accomplished, an act of solidarity with those arrested in Washington, D.C., a warning to mega-dealer, Penske Automotive Group, and a bold message to Toyota Motor Company that expanding into the truck market and suing states for regulating greenhouse gas emissions are not the actions of an environmental leader.