As part of the Climate Strike global day of action, local activists gathered in Pershing Square. Turnout seemed to be in the thousands--it was hard to walk during the initial rally. There were many elementary school students, some with their teachers; as well as teenagers; and adults of all ages. The event began with a prayer by a local Indigenous person who reminded us we were on Tongva land, and places throughout Greater Los Angeles have other names, too, like Yangna and Comicraibit/Komikraangna (Los Angeles and an area of the Santa Monica Mountains respectively). Another Tongva implored people to be respectful to nature in daily life, including creepy crawlers. Ensuing speakers included Jane Fonda, who expressed appreciation for Greta Thunberg, the Swedish 16-year-old who instigated the movement. The event was so crowded, I could not see Fonda nor any of the other speakers.

After the rally, participants marched down Hill, ending at City Hall, where another rally took place.

Many young people carried signs expressing fear or fatalism about their futures. One read, “I’m studying for a future that doesn’t exist.” Various other signs advocated eating vegan (e.g., “Go vegan or go extinct”). Another one reportedly said, “The wrong Amazon is burning.”

Video coverage by Pacifica Radio’s Rising Up With Sonali can be seen here: http://www.risingupwithsonali.com/rising-up-in-the-streets-report-from-the-global-climate-strike/

Meanwhile, other marches around the world were reporting large numbers. The one in San Francisco (one of some 20 in the Bay Area) was described as among the largest marches in that city’s history, comparable with the first Women’s March in 2017 and protests against the ‘03 Iraq invasion (source: Pacifica Evening News, 9-20-19, KPFA).

Other Indymedia coverage of the Youth Climate Strike: *Bay Area: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/09/05/18826040.php *Germany: https://de.indymedia.org/node/37714 *Barcelona: http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/528463 (There are additional Indymedias around the world, but at the time of this writing none of them had Youth Climate Strike coverage.)

This sign was carried by a woman herself dressed as Mother Nature.