The July 4 Beltway blockade. If Judge Koch thinks THIS is a traffic problem maybe a look at I-75 in FL would be educational(photo by Declare Emergency)

I-75 backed up from flood-forced closure Sep 30th. HERE’s your climate emergency in action, judge Koch! Unlike a short-lived protest blockade, this is still ongoing as this is written. Folks here are lucky to even still have their cars. Fuck off with your whining about a peaceful sit-in on a dry road that goes minutes to hours

On Sep 30th in a Rockville, MD courtroom, Judge Koch ignored recommendations for prosecutors and sentenced 13 Declare Emergency activists to 4 days in jail for blockading the Capitol Beltway on July 4. That’s right-the judge gave them jail time prosecutors were NOT asking for, on his own initiative.

Prosecutors should consider that when protesters consider a public emergency to exist, any attempt to make civil disobedience impossible may result in further escalation. In the wake of Hurricane Ian’s devastation in Florida it is no longer possible to argue that there is no public emergency!

There is a scientific consensus that climate change is making hurricanes more powerful, and Ian hit in the Ft Myers area just 2 mph short of Cat 5 strength and was one of the 5 most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the US. Tampa (a MAJOR city) barely missed complete destruction,saved by the storm hitting further south. Waist-high floodwaters were reported as far in land as Orlando.

Perhaps Judge Koch should try to drive to Sanabel Island, and determine in person whether climate change is now a public emergency. Oh that’s right-the causeway is down in multiple locations. Maybe try Ft Myer’s Beach instead, where a storm surge put houses in open water with waves on it. That is, if the judge can even navigate the gas lines, closed roads, and widespread power outages. Oh yeah: I-75 on Florida’s Gulf Coast was closed for flooding far longer than Declare Emergency could ever have kept the Beltway shut down.

more:
https://dcindymedia.org/node/3992