November 2015

On the 29th of November, the Global Climate March took to the streets of DC in solidarity with hard-pressed climate activists in Paris. There, the COP 21 climate change summmit starts on Nov 30, the 16th anniversary of the Battle of Seattle. Using the Nov 13 terrorist attacks as an excuse, the French police have banned all protest there. Activists deployed anyway in defiance of this ban, and on Nov 29 French police fired tear gas at them. Here in DC, as protesters marched past the Mall, cherry blossoms were opening out of season, underscoring the urgency of dealing with climate chaos. This has been the warmest year on average ever recorded by modern science.

Video of DC's Global Climate March

On the evening of Black Friday, November 27, Direct Action Everywhere protested inside the Tenleytown Whole Foods. They were protesting fake "cruelty free" turkeys being sold sometimes at triple digit prices to Whole Foods customers. Days earlier, Whole Foods released this video comparing the single "Potemkin Village" turkey farm Whole Foods uses to promote their "cruelty free" turkeys to the farms the birds actually come from.

Video of the protest inside Tenleytown Whole Foods

On Black Friday, the 27th of November, protesters showed up in front of the H st Wal-Mart. They were demanding that Wal-Mart pay all of their "associates" $15 an hour and offer all of them full-time hours.A speaker at the DC protest cited workers having to go hungry and not eat in order to pay rent, due to the poverty wages Wal-Mart pays.

Video-a Wal-Mart worker speaks of having to go hungry to pay rent

On the 26th of November, activists showed up in front of the White House to remember the Ayotzinapa 43, teaching students who were pulled off their bus by Mexican police and murdered by still-unknown killers a little over a year ago. The Mexican government claims cartel gunmen did the killing, but even if true that still raises the question of wny the police would turn a anyone over to drug cartels. Those who escaped the initial battle and survived reported that police opened fire on the busses to stop them. 43 of the students were forced into police vehicles and were never seen again. One escapee was found at the scene tortured to death. One report claims 6 were killed and 26 wounded in the initial ambush.

This is video and coverage from DC's Trans Week of Action march on 5th and K, Wal-Mart, and Union Station on November 17, 2015. The 5th and K area used to be used by transgender sex workers until police harassment forced them away so new condos could open. Wal-mart was targetted as they are being sued for firing Transgender employees. Union Station was chosen as the finish as it is an excellent location to educate commuters. A note on messaging: Trangender organizers put this march together along with Blackout DC, and the "Trans Lives Matter" slogan was used only after discussion between Transgender and Black Lives Matter activists in DC

Video from transgender march on 5th and K, Wal-Mart, Union Station