Time: May 19th – 22nd
Location: University of Washington Red Square to power plant.
Friday night May 19th, students at the University of Washington rallied and marched throughout campus before chaining themselves to the UW Power Plant, demanding the university cut ties with the fossil fuel industry. Institutional Climate Action (ICA), the main
student run climate group behind the protest, was also the driving force behind the fossil fuel divestment campaign that led the university to pledge to divest all fossil fuel holdings a year ago.
The group stayed chained until their demands — both for a 95% reduction of UW emissions by 2035, and the adoption of accessibility measures in construction related to that change — we’re discussed, opening up a standstill with administration, which had stated that while the protest remained peaceful and safe for workers arrests would not be made. Early on, the action quickly escalated — although students made clear they intended to cause no disruption to the workplace, police attempted multiple times in the first few hours to coax the protestors down, and administration quickly opened a line of dialogue about demands with the students.
