On Friday, December Sixth, hundreds of Bloomington residents took to Bloomington City Hall to raise the issue of climate change to Mayor John Hamilton and other Bloomington City Council members. WFHB Junior Correspondent Katrine Bruner talks to protestors at the strike including members from protest groups Extinction Rebellion, Golden Bicycle and Students for a New Green World.

The crowd that filled up the entire entrance hall ranged from young students to their elder advocates, including those who either walked out of their schools, their jobs, and their busy lives to gather in one small space pressed with the most crucial issue the world faces at this moment.

The strike was primarily organized by the Bloomington chapter of the Extinction Rebellion Movement, the Golden Bicycle activist group, and the Bloomington Sunrise Movement.

Noise – laughter, music, children running around, chatter – bounced off the walls inside the building, disrupting the business of the people hidden in their cubicles away from the crowd. The hall was filled with posters, booths, button-making stations, food and drink, artwork, and instruments perfectly portraying the essence of the Extinction Rebellion: formative, fervent and forthright.

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Beverley Thompson is a sophomore at Indiana University, currently double-majoring in International Studies and Environmental Sustainability and minoring in Business.  She spoke on behalf of the event and her feelings on how a community like the people of Bloomington is a great way to start taking action on the climate crisis.

Thompson went on to express how the Extinction Rebellion movement is much more diverse than other movements in the past. Thompson is a current leading member of Students for a New Green World (abbreviated as SNGW), which gives her more reason to have such passion for this event and what it means for the people of Bloomington.

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A group of protesters sang their own take of the Woody Guthrie protest song, “This Land Is Your Land” to get the crowd together. Substituting in their own lyrics, the protesters changed the refrain to “This town is your town, this town is my town, we’ll build a new one, we’ll tear the old down…”

Musicians also covered Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” metaphorically criticizing industrialists who pave paradise to put up a parking lot.

They closed their protest anthem lineup with a simple drum line – which seemed to symbolize a heartbeat of the protest movement. Protest signs immediately rose from the hands of protesters and filled the room.

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Golden Bicycle Bloomington is an environmental conservation organization that was formed to support the Extinction Rebellion Movement. Ross Martinie-Eiler has been a member of this organization since  “the get-go” in an effort to show that the people of Bloomington are helping with the climate issue. Ross briefly explained what Golden Bicycle Bloomington’s hope is for the city of Bloomington.

Ross continued to express his opinion on what it really means to help the climate in these times for the sake of a better future.

In light of the colorful event, Martinie-Eiler said how grateful he was to see so many people come to stand up for such a huge issue while also emphasizing the importance of keeping a positive mindset while continuing to take action.

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Charlotte Siena, a freshman at Bloomington High School South was invited to help organize the event by Ross Martinie-Eiler who happened to be a member at her church. Charlotte spoke strongly on how young people need to involve themselves in the decision-making process in solving the climate change crisis.

She said young people will not be deterred from the “patronizing words” of Mayor Hamilton and other local leaders.

The tenth-generation Hoosier also said she worries about what the future holds in store for Millennials and Generat...