August 8th, 2024, John Mark Rozendaal was arrested with over a dozen others, demonstrating in front of Citibank headquarters.

   In July, John Mark Rozendaal was targeted as a coordinator for Extinction Rebellion NYC, as part of the Summer of Heat on Wall Street, in New York City.

   John was issued a restraining order to keep him off the premises, which was a bogus way of trying to intimidate organizers within the movement. Rather than challenging it through legal means, which would have been costly, John chose to act in the spirit of nonviolent resistance - to stage a Cello performance at the site of the protests.
John Mark was joined by Alec Connon, who was also targeted by the restraining order. Another thirteen other non-violent demonstrators also acted as a barricade for this peaceful performance.
   From Planet over Profit, “475+ people have been arrested engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience so far, including faith leaders, scientists, elders, students and parents. Most of these arrests have been at Citi HQ. Summer of Heat has been the largest, longest civil disobedience campaign against a single US bank for fossil fuel financing – ever.
This follows years of petitions, research reports, direct lobbying of the bank, shareholder activism and one-off protests.”

   
In the words of John Mark, before he was arrested, “We do not know if we will be arrested or not, but we do know what will happen if Citibank doesn’t cease its support for fossil fuels. I hope you will join us”

   It’s clear that Citibank has chosen which side they are on in this conflict, but will the citizens of the United States go quietly into the night? We are not at all innocent in this. Each of us benefits from fossil fuels in the short term - and in return, we let these corporations become greedier and greedier each year. Even as we have enough food to feed the entire world, we squander resources on ego projects, as the rich pad their coffers.
If we do not stand up, with or without a Cello, we will lose more than just a great celloist and organizer. We will lose the future we could have gifted to future generations. We will be at risk of losing our own lives.
   John Mark Rozendaal and Alec Connon are to be seen at night court, leaving 4 total still in custody. At this time, they have not been fed and are being charged $1 per bottle of water, in a strange twist.

John Locke was clear: any government that plans the death of its citizens is breaking the law, in the past, in the present, and in the future. No exceptions.

Roger Hallam, via RogerHallam.com, July 29th, 2024

Q. Are the first 7 months of this year the hottest first 7 months of any year in recorded history?

A. F&%kery ahead!

Eliot Jacobson, August 8th, 2024, via @EliotJacobson on Twitter

Climate activist Wouter Mouton has taken aim at Total Energies' Belgian headquarters and is shining a spotlight on Uganda's highly contentious construction project, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.

Extinction Rebellion Belgium, via @XR_Belgium on Twitter, August 7th, 2024

Join the Summer of Heat in NYC

The clock is ticking. That’s why The Summer of Heat, is taking joyful, relentless nonviolent direct action to end fossil fuel financing. Wall Street is bankrolling the coal, oil and gas companies that are polluting our communities and killing our planet. The Summer of Heat is set on stopping them. The Summer of Heat is going hard all summer long. Week after week. Month after month. The Summer of Heat is taking the party to the streets and won't stop.

Join the March on the DNC in Chicago

We are a coalition of organizations bringing our demands to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024!

• 12PM Monday August 19 - Union Park 1501 W. Randolph St
• 5PM Thursday August 22 - Union Park 1501 W. Randolph St