Flood Wall Street makes waves

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Occupy Wall Street Climate Summit
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. The protesters were trying to draw attention to the connection between capitalism and environmental destruction. Eventually at least fifty protesters that would not move from the intersection were taken into custody. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

More than 2,500 protesters marched on Wall Street last week, hoping to convince big business that they are one of the major causes of climate change. The Occupy-Wall-Street-style protest came the day after a the record-setting People’s Climate March, the protest was mostly peaceful but ended with about 100 people’s arrest.

Activist Peter Galvin, who founded the Center for Biological Diversity, marched dressed up as a polar bear and was one of those arrested. In an interview with the Deustche Welle, Galvin said that he had been feeling a sense of desperation about the climate change situation, but the turnout to the protest gave him hope that Wall Street will have to take action.

“It was so moving, it was literally bringing tears to my eyes seeing people of every background, from every country in the world, marching together all showing passion and love for the earth,” he said.

On the other side, there has been criticism that the protest didn’t offer any sort of action plan and ignored the fact that Wall Street will naturally support green energy as the demand for it develops.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is rejoicing in the whole event, saying that police handled the situation well and protesters were simply exercising their First Amendment rights.

 

 

 

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