Three Hanscom Activists: Why I Get Arrested For The Climate

On Saturday April 20, members of XR Boston and the community around Hanscom Airfield in Bedford disrupted private jet flights for the ultra-wealthy, protesting the proposed construction of 17 new hangars at the airfield. 20 activists were arrested, and word of the action quickly spread across international news. Lex Media, a local news source, created a short documentary about the demonstration. Inspired by this public outcry, celebrity activist Ashley Judd even took up the cause, speaking publicly against the Hanscom expansion. MassPort responded by extending the public comment period on the expansion for a full month, allowing for more community input.

The widespread positive public response to this action is a testament to the community's opposition to expanding destructive and unnecessary private airfields, but it's also a testament to XR's work of shifting the Overton window to include civil disobedience. Many of the journalists who reached out to XR Boston for comments after the Hanscom action asked questions about activists' motivations with respect and curiosity, which is a huge shift in attitude. We were asked: "What drew you personally to civil disobedience as a means of getting politicians, industry leaders, and the general public to take action on climate change, as opposed to less drastic measures? What does it mean for you to put your freedom on the line for the cause? What outcome do you hope to see from this action?"

Three activists who were arrested on April 20 have offered to share their answers to these questions.

Rebel 1: James

James has been a member of XR Boston since spring 2019.

What drew you personally to civil disobedience as a means of getting politicians, industry leaders, and the general public to take action on climate change, as opposed to less drastic measures?

I became very disillusioned about society's response to the climate crisis over the past decade and a half. I studied environmental engineering in college, have worked in the energy industry for 11 years, and have taken all the personal life changes one can in trying to live a more sustainable life. I don't fly, I eat vegan, I don't own a car, I buy RECs for my energy, etc. What became clear to me is that the government is bought off by special interests impeding any meaningful progress and the general public is afraid to face the facts of the crisis we're entering. Activism was the most amazing place to put my anxiety and fear and turn it into productive pressure on our government to act faster, as well as increase the urgency and education of the general public around climate change. Non-violent protest work has been very effective in social rights campaigns in our country's history, and I intend to be a part of that same history for climate, using similar tactics.

What does it mean for you to put your freedom on the line for the cause?

Being a white, cis-gender, middle class gay man, I have a lot of privilege that others do not. Sometimes effective protest tactics involve risks of arrest. Given my ability to take that on and not face consequences like some other communities do, I feel it's a responsibility of mine to be able to use my talents and body to help the cause- especially for those communities that face the worst effects of climate change but don't have the liberties to stand up for themselves in the same way. It may seem radical to some, but to know the future that we're facing, see how little governments are acting, and not do what we're doing seems like the radical stance to me.

What outcome do you hope to see from this action?

I hope that Governor Healey sees how much the community wants this project canceled and how desperately we need to push for stronger climate action. I hope that the media can help us educate others that may not know we are increasing private jet use in the state for the wealthy, and that their outrage puts pressure on the state to cancel this ridiculous and unjust new luxury transportation.

Rebel 2: Harley

Harley has been a member of XR Boston since summer 2022.

What drew you personally to civil disobedience as a means of getting politicians, industry leaders, and the general public to take action on climate change, as opposed to less drastic measures?

When people see civil disobedience or disruptive tactics, they are often moved to say “I agree with your message, but there’s a right way to go about things and this isn’t it.” But that presupposes a belief that working within the bounds of legality is always sufficient to achieve justice, which has never historically been true and is not true now. Civil rights could not have been achieved through legal means, nor could women’s suffrage or American Independence. Climate scientists agree that we only have a few years left to curb carbon emissions before the cascading effects are out of our control. Environmental groups have been trying to work within the law to change policy and plead with governments and corporations for over 50 years, and in that time carbon emissions have only accelerated to staggering heights. Doesn’t it seem clear that drastic measures are required?

What does it mean for you to put your freedom on the line for the cause?

I mean, I’m terrified to go to jail! I don’t think anyone is excited about it. I will say, though, that before I started devoting myself to climate action I was sick to my stomach every single day with anxiety about the rapidly-approaching impacts of climate change. I still fear them greatly, but it makes all the difference in the world to feel that I am doing everything within my limited power to make things better. To anyone who is suffering from climate anxiety: I recommend climate action.

What outcome do you hope to see from this action?

I hope that members of the public who hadn’t known about the disproportionate effects of jet travel will start to learn about it and get angry. I hope that this action continues the momentum of other climate groups who are doing similar work. I hope that Governor Healey is embarrassed into living up to her self-anointed “climate leader” title. And I hope that the ultra-rich who use these luxury services without care for the devastating effect of their emissions start to realize that public opinion is against them and the writing is on the wall.

Rebel 3: Julia

Julia has been a member of XR Boston since May 2022.

What drew you personally to civil disobedience as a means of getting politicians, industry leaders, and the general public to take action on climate change, as opposed to less drastic measures?

Prior to getting involved in XR, as an environmentally-conscious person I tried changing my personal habits to have as little impact on the environment: Biking as primary means of transportation, refusing plastic bags wherever I could, switching my diet to be vegetarian, etc. Through reading about the climate crisis, I started to realize that none of what I did mattered if I still lived in a society that was powered primarily by fossil fuels. I was inspired by my uncle and aunt, Randy Kehler and Betsy Corner, lifelong nonviolent activists who protested the Vietnam War and the nuclear arms race, to turn to nonviolent civil disobedience as a form of political activism.

What does it mean for you to put your freedom on the line for the cause?

As someone who has enjoyed a lot of privilege in her life, I feel like it is the least I can do, to put my body on the line to try to stop the coming devastation from climate change, for which billions of people who are less fortunate than I am, or who are younger than I am, will carry the greatest burden. I want to be able to tell my daughter, who will be born in a few months, that I did everything I could to give her and her generation a livable future. I want to have the internal peace that comes from matching my actions to my words and beliefs.

What outcome do you hope to see from this action?

I want members of the public who see this in the news to feel angry that despite our government's lip service to climate action, we're wasting our carbon budget on luxury flights for the rich. The Hanscom expansion would cancel out 70% of the carbon benefits from existing solar panels in MA, much of which has been achieved by regular people who care about the climate going above and beyond to install solar panels on their rooftop, switch to EVs, and consider the environment in their everyday decisions. I want them to feel angry about this injustice, and to turn their anger into nonviolent action.