Open Letter to Drivers Inconvenienced by General Disruption Protests

Dear reader stuck in traffic,

We gave you a bad morning. We made you late to work, or to a dentist appointment, or to an interview. Whatever you needed to do this morning, whatever you got up early for, we got in your way. Articles from media corporations never really capture what we're trying to do, so we're writing this letter to explain. We all had a difficult day today, because we think it will make a better tomorrow.

Anyone who speaks about climate change can reference a whole litany of disasters from just this summer. The floods in Vermont killed Stephen Davoll, a 63-year-old man who drowned in his home. In Phoenix, temperatures hit 110 degrees for over 20 days, and killed at least 18 people. The wildfires in Canada that spread smoke across most of the US were caused by longer, more intense dry seasons. Three firefighters died fighting those fires. More than one hundred people died in Maui from the wildfires. The smoke spread by those fires can permanently damage children's lungs, resulting in asthma and heart disease. Your kids and your neighbors' kids are suffering, living worse lives than they would otherwise, because of climate change.

But that doesn't explain why we blocked these roads, today. We're often asked why we don't target the people in power, and the truth is, we have! We've done many protests at the State House, and we've learned that directly protesting lawmakers simply is not as effective as what we're doing today. Sociologists and historians agree that disruptive general protests are the most effective way of getting action on an important issue. We're looking at the death and suffering that's happening right now because of climate change, we're seeing the government do nothing of significance, and we know we don't have time for ineffectiveness. We don't enjoy spending our mornings in front of cars, but we're blocking these roads because it's proven to be the best way to actually change how our society approaches this disaster.

What does all of this mean for you, aside from a bad morning, and maybe a bad day? We often hear, "Well, I don't agree with their tactics, but I agree with their demands," and that's fine! We don't think we have all the answers, so if you agree with why we're doing this, but don't agree with how, then show us a better way! We're asking you to do whatever you think is right - to force the government to end burning fossil fuels. This isn't a problem that can be solved by just a handful of people, but if we work together, we can end fossil fuel infrastructure in Massachusetts, and then start working on the rest of the nation, and the world.

It was a bad day, but it can be a better tomorrow.

With hope for the future,

Extinction Rebellion Boston

https://xrboston.org/