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I was arrested on Saturday with my wife Meg. We celebrated our one-year anniversary from jail. Here's Meg being put into a van by four NYPD officers. 1/12
We protested with #ExtinctionRebellion in front of the @nytimes building, to demand that media outlets and journalists update the language they use to describe the climate crisis. #EarthToMedia #TellTheTruth 2/12
"Climate change" is a misleading term for a global disaster this epic. "Climate emergency" and "climate crisis" is more truthful. The crisis is insidious because of how it appears to unfold in slow motion. But on a *generational* timescale, it's a sudden meltdown. 3/12
I'm grateful that the @nytimes has led the media in climate crisis coverage, but it's not yet enough. We will all benefit from a more radical shift in how resources are allocated to cover the crisis—across every section of the newspaper. 4/12
Meg and I helped divert traffic so that others could safely present their message with banners and megaphones. We practiced nonviolent civil disobedience, and the NYPD cops I encountered reacted professionally (MAJOR privilege check here) as they arrested 70 of us. 5/12
On the ride to central booking, one officer said "I can't get behind this because I'm a conservative." But why should conservatism and conservation be incompatible? The climate crisis doesn't have to be such a left-vs-right issue. 6/12
As the 2020 election heats up, discussing candidates at family gatherings may be hard, but what about discussing the home that we leave for our children? We don't yet appreciate the scale of the burdens we're creating for them. 7/12
I was separated from Meg and put in a windowless room with 50 others for 10 hours. We kicked around a paper cup some. Then I was amazed how this group of strangers passed the entire time together as one unit, bonding over a deep, long, group discussion. Many new friendships. 8/12
My first day in jail was exciting, but I'm a white straight male, getting the soft, men's-retreat version. I don't recommend everyone risk it. But for a profile and arrest like mine, you'll likely only get a disorderly conduct violation—not a misdemeanor (I'm not a lawyer) 9/12
They let me go around 11pm, soon after Meg, and @XR_NY greeted us w/ pizza and treats. Someone passed me a hand-written note thanking me for the day. I'M the one who owes thanks to everyone who helped make this experience so smooth. 10/12
Then, the highlight of my day… I saw that news of the climate crisis protest was trending on Twitter, and dozens of major news outlets were covering it in and outside the US. That's when it hit home what a *high-leverage* strategy civil disobedience can be. 11/12
I hope others with the privilege of light skin and the free day to spare will give protest a try. Attend an #ExtinctionRebellion training to get comfy. If you get arrested via @ExtinctionR, they'll support you the whole way. What an easy way to put some skin in the game. 12/12
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