Hundreds of students and community members of all ages marched to the Wayne S. Morse United States Courthouse on Friday to demand action on climate change. The event was planned by Eugene’s branch of the national organization Sunrise Movement.
Sunrise Movement member and University of Oregon student Carson Schmittle said that he was worried the rain and weather might put a damper on the event but was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. Schmittle added that UO and South Eugene High School students had big turnouts.
The protest had representatives from all ages with one young protestor showing off her sign that read “the earth is getting hotter than Finn Wolfhard.” Wolfhard being the 16-year-old actor popularized by his portrayal of child paranormal hero in Stranger Things.
Gen-X and Millennial protestors were also joined by their older counterparts. The dance troupe “Rise! Dance! Resist!” gave a short performance to Respect by Aretha Franklin and Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees. The dance group’s leader, Margo Jennings, said the group started because they are “very unhappy with what is going on in our world and we wanted to find a way to express our dissatisfaction.” Jennings said they thought the best way to show their unhappiness was by protesting through their passion of dance.
Protest leaders shared their desire for Governor Kate Brown to put a stop to the building of the Jordan Cove natural pipeline proposed to run from Coos Bay through much of Southern Oregon. Other protestors were asking attendees to sign a petition for stronger Climate Change actions to be taken by the City Council when they finalize their Climate Action Plan in January.
