Climate campers on Common face charges

Congratulations to these courageous students for making a stand. While our leaders in DC are asleep at the wheel, these students our forcing MA to stand up and take leadership. To go from idea to public hearing in 3 weeks is a huge testament to the power of these students to make things happen.
I hope the Governor is paying attention and is ready to meet with them soon.

I am very pleased to hear the police were being cordial, and I plan to be in a tent next Sunday!! I also hope Governor Deval Patrick will take notice soon

boston "common" eh?

I am very impressed with the students, wish I could be there to support them.

Is there any chance Al Gore will leave his 15 bedroom mansion in Nashville and fly is private Jet to Boston to attend one of these camp-outs?

For anyone who needs a place to stay next Sunday, Whitney Smith's place will be empty...

I was just watching the evening news and it said Boston was one of 10 major cities who "could not afford" to have every rape kit tested because they were too expensive, yet you have these gutless armed goons issuing a bunch of summons to a group of peaceful protesters supposedly for tresspassing on public property. Yes sir, BPD certainly has their priorities straight. They can afford to put these clowns on traffic details drunk OR sober, yet they can't help women who have been raped. Police always seem to have a ready excuse for why they just can't do their jobs--or everything but.

Can't these clowns be taken to jail for trespassing on public property?
What's the point of issueing summonses if they are just going to flount the law and camp out anyway?

If these clowns want clean energy so much then they should stop using the existing non-clean energy and build some kind of clean energy facility that can produce enough electricity, steam, gas and motor fuels to reach their 100% goal. These dummies think all that is needed is for the governor to pass a law and magically everything changes. You need to build the facilities first before the energy arrives at your apartment. Start working on it!

Civil disobedience has its place. Is this it, though? I don't think so. It's giving civil disobedience a bad name when selfish teenyboppers abuse the notion like this. Next week the police ought to arrest them and make them spend one night -- or more -- in jail.

This is a public park, how do people get away with making laws about sleeping in parks when taxpayer dollars pay for their upkeep? If you say a park closes at 11 and post a sign in the middle of the city does that make it the law? Seems like someone is infringing on rights of assembly if the people are gathering to protest. It makes me wonder if someone pitched a tent in our community garden if that would be against the law. LET'S ALL GO URBAN CAMPING!!!!! GO PROTESTERS!!!!

Ah, if you're homeless and try to sleep in the Common, the Boston Police don't cordially take your name for a future summons and then tuck you back in with your teddy and favorite blankie; they roust you very expeditiously

The article says, "They were given a few minutes to leave or face summons." I guess the homeless don't know that if you obey the verbal order you won't even get a summons if you leave for a few minutes and then come back because either the BPD only patrols the Common once a night or they won't get upset if you ignore their lawful order to stop trespassing on closed public property so they'll just make sure you sleep safe and sound so you won't miss another meaningless hearing under the Golden Dome,

Guess there's a double standard if you a NASA scientist who could afford to sleep in the Ritz Carlton or someone homeless with nowhere else to go.

Congratulations and thank you to these amazing students, faith leaders, community members, parents and grandparents who are willing to make sacrifices for the safety of our children.

Please stay strong and keep fighting.

The comments are interesting. They make it sound like Governor Patrick has done absolutely nothing regarding climate change. For what it's worth, Massachusetts is light years ahead of other states in terms of implementing programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Global Warming Solutions Act, which became law last year, sets pretty ambitious targets for emissions reductions, and state agencies are already designing programs and policies to meet their targets. The legislation calls for a 10-25% reduction in emissions by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels) and an 80% reduction by 2050. Should we be setting more aggressive goals here? Perhaps. But there are *many* other states that are doing very little in terms of implementing emissions reduction policies.

Anyone who spends the night on the Common is a brave man. Watch out for dirty needles when you pick a spot to pitch your tent!

You cannot break a law to make a law. Remember all of the outrage in recent weeks when people were being assaulted (raped and/or mugged) in nearby neighborhoods? Everyone on here was complaining, asking where the police were when all of this was going on. On the next few Sunday nights, people will be assembling illegally on Boston Common, unnecessarily thinning out police surveillance and therefore endangering other residents - in the name of reducing greenhouse gas reductions? If someone is killed or raped on a Sunday night in that area, while this nonsense is going on, I hope all of these people are willing to hold themselves accountable, because they are knowingly and willingly breaking the law for "ATTENTION" to their cause.

When you put innocent lives in danger in the name of the environment its time to reassess your true motives in life. Assemble on the common during the day. Camping in tents at night in a public place is not proactively drawing attention to your cause.

Tell these heroic students to get jobs. This type of law will simply chase more jobs to Michigan. Wake up and live in the real world. You know, the one with the depression ongoing. Economic depression trumps global warming everytime - no matter how short-sighted that may seem. Learn to live with global warming. There is no stopping it. Neither China nor India care about such high minded ideals.

Why don't they get a job.

150 people wasting their time, trying to change something that can't be changed, and on top of it all, displaying an extreme disconnect with financial reality.

Can't wait for next weekend, lets keep building numbers and keep the pressure on our legislators.

Beth Daley, I hope you're keeping an eye on this developing initiative. We need your intelligence, expertise and interest here.

I was there yesterday afternoon for the pre-sleep out speeches. I cannot possibly express the depth of my admiration for these students who in my view may (finally) be the ones who, as Jim Hansen observed, will catalyze a tipping point of public awareness sufficient to elicit some concrete, thoughtful and concerted action from our elected officials on the serious matter of pollution-driven climate destabilization in-progress.

What these young people are doing is absolutely extraordinary. There wasn't a negative, arrogant, irresponsible vibe among them as they quietly set up their tents and talked among themselves and with Dr. Hansen who, by the way, slept outside with them last night having very recently recovered from major surgery. He came up here Sunday, specifically, to support their cause and it was very clear that his presence was an inspiration to all in attendance.

Today's young people and their children are the ones who are going to have to live with the increasingly observable ramifications of OUR generation's failure to face the unfortunate fact that we are, indeed, altering the chemistry and undermining the stability of the atmosphere upon which all that live and breathe on Earth are utterly dependent.

These students are doing the right thing. May their efforts not be in vain.

"re-power the state with 100 percent clean electricity by 2020".
Interesting goal but totally unrealistic. Every time someone proposes a wind turbine installation, too many people complain about how it will ruin their view of something and instigate legal action to stop it.
If the group want to be taken seriously by politicians and the general public, they need to get real.

I wonder how many of these people (or their parents who are paying their way) have signed up for NStar's clean wind energy for their residence.

I signed up for it. I'm helping put an end to global warming, and I don't even have to get arrested or sleep near heroin addicts and prostitutes in the common to do it. NStar rocks!

I am glad to see the so called protesters kicked off the Common. We aren't buying their propaganda!!!

Supporters - thanks for your kind words! Join us next week, and find a local or campus sleepout during the week to keep building attention. We already have some legislative support and are building fast, but this cause needs your help too. Idealism and activism are how this movement will gain support, and it's time we met climate change with a serious solution.

@ Alex -
I camped out with the group. I have National Grid, and I signed up for GreenUp, a similar program. While this is a big step, we need to recognize that personal changes can only go so far. Our system has a lot of momentum pushing for fossil fuel use at all levels, and in order to get big business to stop polluting, we have to change the laws to recognize the hidden costs of carbon-based fuels.

@16, 17, 18 -
I have a job, a credit card, an apartment, and bills to pay - and that's part of why I support bold clean energy legislation. We're falling behind China and European nations in the new renewable economy, and only a law recognizing, and correcting, the social costs of greenhouse gases will get us back in the lead. MA can take advantage of this and LEAD the country in developing a new, clean economy.

Students have the privilege to put their buts on the line for a cause they believe in. They know very well that if a group of minorities or homeless people tried something like this, they would be treated much differently. This is precisely why they are using their privilege! Respect that.

And as far as the "why don't you get a job" comments, that always makes me smile! First of all, they're Students! Second, perhaps all the trolls should find something more productive to do with their time.

No, the Governor will not solve all our problems for us. But we need people working on solutions from every angle, including legislative.

Perhaps we can all wake up and realize that we're all together on this (sinking) boat?

Not everyone can afford NStar or their own personal method of clean electricity. As it stands, they are required to live in homes powered by dirty electricity or live below what is accepted as the standard of living in this country.

You cannot break a law to make a law? Have you ever heard of the civil rights movement?

Massachusetts has set itself as a leader in climate policy, but it's by far not enough. We need to send Senator Kerry to Copenhagen with the fact that his state is in the process of developing strong, bold climate legislation so that world leaderscan in turn make strong, bold legislation. There are estimates that bby as soon as 2035 there will be over 1 billion climate refugees just due to water shortage in Asia that's provided by the glaciers that are melting away at an unprecedented pace. Too far from home? Rivers like the Colorado already no longer reach the ocean because of the misuse and overconsumption of them.

At the hearing with Senator Pacheco monday morning, Boston Recruitment Coordinator Dominque Mccadden testified, "I don't want to have to look into my children's eyes and tell them 'I wish I had done more.' " If not now, then it will never happen, and I personally cannot live knowing that I didn't give everything to ensure my children and future generations the health and prosperity we enjoy today.

The campaign has drafted a bill for the next ten years which was passed as a resolution by Massachusetts already, but we are only asking Governor Patrick to set up legislation for a task force to best decide how Massachusetts can again take up its mantle of leadership as it has in the past (birthplace of the revolution, gay marriage, etc.). The economics are very feasible, it is the politics that get in the way of taking a true stance against global climatic disruption.

well put Christian!

It is all the negative and discouraging doubtful comments that prove that what these students are doing is much needed! People need to wake up and realize science and climate change are not going to wait for the economy and economic downturn to fix itself, and if we put off taking care of climate change for later, we are going to face much worse problems than the ones we are facing now. The economy is not going to be people biggest problem if we refuse to act, trying to survive will be.

Keep at it students! We need you and your bold virtues to raise awareness.

It is true that real change comes from real sacrifice, and because people have chosen to ignore the science, civil disobedience is the only way people will see what we are facing is a real, tangible issue!

Breaking the law is necessary when lives are at stake.

Keep strong and i hope your numbers grow!

best of luck

great job you guys. Let people hate you. the reality of the situation is that they have given up on a new better future. We have not and need to continue to fight for it on every front.