A left-wing protest in Washington, D.C., is blocking traffic in the nation’s capital to demonstrate against an administration and lawmakers they believe have failed them by not delivering on various promises.The initiative, dubbed “Shutdown DC,” is a joint effort from several activist organizations that are each conducting blockades at different spots near the Capitol building.
“On Dec. 7, as Congress returns to the Capitol for the last week of the 2021 legislative calendar, we’re going to take bold direct action to demand that Congress and the administration take action to pass the programs that they promised us and we voted for,” said a message on the Shutdown DC website. “We’re taking to the streets to shut down the backroom meetings and political theater that have failed to deliver the progress that our communities need.”
The groups involved include SPACES In Action, Extinction Rebellion DC, Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund, Code Pink. Demonstrators are advocating causes including climate change, immigration reform, voting rights, D.C. statehood, health care and racial justice.
Images from the scene showed protesters blocking roads as they stood in the way of traffic with signs and other props.