Six Dallas activists were arrested at the home of Sen. Ted Cruz following a 400-mile march that ended on the senator’s doorstep.
Sunrise Movement Dallas and Gulf South activists with “Generationon Fire” demand President Biden and Senator Cruz stop impeding life-saving climate legislation in the American Jobs Plan and support a fully funded Civilian Climate Corps (CCC).
As covered in the national media, marchers presented a choice to the President: continue negotiating away young peoples futures with Republican climate deniers like Cruz or stand with the young people who elected you.
Seventy youth climate activists finished the final mile of their 400-mile march on June 21 by marching to Cruz’s doorstep holding signs saying, “Our Homes Flood, Our People Freeze, Cruz Abandons Us,” and “No Deal with Climate Deniers,” and demanded Biden stop negotiating away their futures and hire 1.5 million people to fight the climate crisis through a fully funded CCC.
“Politicians like Cruz and Biden can’t sell my future away to their highest donor while Gulf South residents are losing their lives to storms like Claudette and the Texas Freeze. Our homes burn, our neighborhoods flood, our parents freeze, and they sentence us to death while talking about fake bipartisanship,” said 26 year old arrested Sunriser Kidus Girma.
“My parents sacrificed everything to come to this country to give me a better future.
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Having Ed Markeys and AOC’s Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice to Rebuild America would get us one step closer towards the future that my parents envisioned for me and my sisters. For that reason I’m willing to make sacrifices,” said 21 year old arrested Sunriser Giselle López Estrada.
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“Biden, I voted for you because I thought I was securing my future but everyday since inauguration I’ve woken up with the same fears. Your decision to work with the same people who won’t upgrade Texas’ power network to save us from blackouts this summer is a slap in the face. Deliver on your promises so I can have a future doing meaningful work like fixing our power grid,” said 19 year old marcher Ishan Gupta.
Sunrise demands Biden:
• Stop negotiating with moderates and the GOP on climate jobs legislation and fight for what the people need.
• Support Ed Markey and AOC’s Civilian Climate Corps that provides 1.5 million good jobs.
• Take the first step towards climate justice by revoking the Formosa Plastics permit in St. James Parish, LA.
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Activists marched for six weeks starting from the Superdome in New Orleans and highlighting issues of injustice along the way like a $9.5 billion plastics facility in St. James Parish, LA.
This was the third Sunrise Movement escalated action directly targeting federal politicians in recent weeks including Biden at the White House and Speaker Pelosi’s San Francisco home. Sunrise Movement used this protest as a call to action for an even larger rally in DC on June 28. Sunrise Dallas activist Javier Enriquez spoke alongside Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, and Cori Bush at the rally outside the White House, right before Sunrise Movement members physically blockaded all White House entrances and exits.
