Extinction Rebellion In Chicago: ‘Sounding the Alarm on Climate Change’

A two-week period of nonviolent civil disobedience organized by the global climate-action movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) came to an end on October 18. The organization began in London last year as protestors gained extensive media attention for their Declaration of Rebellion against the UK Parliament. In this past year, Extinction Rebellion has expanded to hundreds of groups around the globe, reflecting the average citizen’s growing awareness about how critical climate change action is and how drastically it can affect both the natural and human worlds.

‘Sounding the alarm on the climate emergency’ was the theme for this final protest for the Chicago branch of XR, who gathered in Daley Plaza. Laura Orrico and Shriya Patel, environmental science majors from Loyola, both attended the protest on Friday. Although nervous about the future of society and the environment, the students felt hope and excitement to see the awareness of climate change grow.

“Being here and seeing older people but also college-aged students and younger people makes me optimistic in the face of very dire situations,” Orrico said.

Martin Locante, an organizer of the XR Wisconsin, Madison branch, said that the main goal of the movement is not to convince climate change deniers of the invalidity of their beliefs, but to “...work on radicalizing those who are at least a little sympathetic.” And based on the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism survey conducted in 2019, many are sympathetic: Only 5 percent of citizens in the U.S. do not believe in climate change and only 13% do not believe it is a man-made problem. The main problem, as explained by the same survey and echoed by Locante, is to convince people that radical action is needed immediately to protect people in both developed and undeveloped countries.

It’s evident when referencing Extinction Rebellion protests around the world that climate activists are not complicit with being put on the back burner any longer. Through tactics like docking boats in the middle of busy intersections, gluing themselves to the floor of governmental buildings and halting public transit, these new-wave activists are making a name for themselves – admired by some and despised by others.

Martin Locante leads the way for climate protesters through downtown Chicago. Photo by Saya Federbush.

However, this Chicago group of about 70 strong appeared as a mere blip on the radar of many locals, overshadowed completely by the Chicago Public Schools teachers strike, which occurred just an hour prior. This shared spotlight did not deter protesters, and many of them even showed their support for the teachers by holding signs stating “XR for CTU.”

“It seemed to be more respectful and coalition-building to show support for the Chicago teachers because we see those efforts... as related, connected and integrating,” said Ellen McManus, a senior organizer at XR Chicago.

As the final stragglers from the teachers strike trickled out of Daley Plaza, that was the signal for Extinction Rebellion to take the main stage. The eclectic group that began to convene in Daley Plaza, comprised of people in hazmat suits and a rollerskating Grim Reaper, was evidence of the boldness and unapologetic nature of XR. However, the group’s diversity was still small: The majority of protesters were white and middle-aged, demonstrating a continuance of the historical trend of a lack of ethnic diversity in environmental movements. Locante said another goal of Extinction Rebellion is to “highlight environmental injustice” as a way to make the movement more relevant to racial minorities.

After a few opening statements from local organizers, they began to march down Dearborn Street, chanting “Declare a climate emergency,” and “For the truth, tell the truth – climate change is here now.”

Their final destination was the bridge over the Chicago River, from which they hung their banners and continued to demand attention from the rush-hour commuters. Much of the response was positive – a few friendly waves and small shouts of support emitted from crowds on the riverwalk and tour boats. Nonetheless, the classic “Don’t you people have jobs?” was heard through the chorus of chants from a car speeding past.

Protesters hang a banner over the Chicago River on Dearborn Street. Photo by Saya Federbush.

This angry commuter is not alone in his sentiments about climate change activists. Many government officials, fossil fuel companies and climate-change deniers would love for these activists to ‘get back to work’ and ignore the reality of how a problem that was kicked down the road for decades is finally knocking at our front door, and knocking hard. Tracy Ahr, a resident of Evanston, echoes this urgency.

“There’s no time to waste anymore,” Ahr said. “People say that they’re concerned, but they need to be out here.”

National and global trends show that despite the high profile Extinction Rebellion gained this year, not much has been done in the legal sector to reflect the expanding sense of urgency and fear among activists.

“We have not seen evidence [of government action], but we’re working on a variety of fronts… with aldermen and planning to meet with city council officials,” McManus said.

Advocating for climate change, going green or saving the earth is nothing new – we have seen these movements since the 1960s. Despite this, there is something different about Extinction Rebellion. Whether it be tactic, timing or the harrowing message of human extinction, XR has attracted thousands of protesters all across the world in a feverous call to action for responsible parties to mitigate their damages before it’s too late.

The end of this two-week protest for XR organizers does not mean their work is finished. In fact, as Locante described, it’s only just begun.

“It’s been a lot of effort and energy going into these past two weeks,” Locante said. “But this is a regenerative culture, and we take care of each other and allow each other to rest so we can continue to fight.”

XR Rebellion Chicago- https://www.facebook.com/XRchicago/

XR Global- https://rebellion.earth/