ShutDownDC used sandbags, plywood and New Orleans style music to “barricade” the doors of fossil fuel lobbyists

WASHINGTON -- Around 25 activists, joined by a New Orleans Second Line-style band, traced the origins of Hurricanes Ida and Katrina to four fossil fuel lobbying firms on Capitol Hill. The demonstration comes on the heels of Hurricane Ida, which turned into a devastating Category 4 storm yesterday morning, and also to mark the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. 

The protest-parade arrived at the doors of four lobbying firms that represent fossil fuel interests on Capitol Hill: Crossroads Strategies, Alpine Group, Owen Evans Ingols, and the S-3 Group. At each firm, they used a 4 x 8 plywood sheet, sandbags and spray paint to “board up” the doors, reminiscent of the boarded up houses in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina. After the first stop, around 15 police arrived and prevented the activists from “boarding up” the entrances, but activists continued a few feet away. 

“I can’t stand the cognitive dissonance of living in a place where lobbyists are getting rich while [elsewhere] communities are being devastated,” said one protester, Brad Hellman, who lived in New Orleans for 10 years. “We may feel insulated here [in DC] but climate change is coming for all of us.”

The band, a local group called Too Much Talent, played music in the style of a Second Line band, which has cultural roots in New Orleans as a dual celebratory and mournful funeral procession. The activists chanted “You are at fault” at the buildings where the lobbying firms are located, and one chalked the sidewalk.

“As a physician I’m trained to identify emergencies and we’re currently living in a climate emergency,” said Kate Sugarman, who was at the protest. “I’m not just worried about the next generation, this is an immediate medical emergency for everyone right now.”

The four lobbying firms are connected by their association with fossil fuel clients. A full analysis connecting Crossroads Strategies, Alpine Group, Owen Evans Ingols, and S-3 Group can be found here.