If it’s Saturday, it must be time for an update on the performance art known as Fire Drill Fridays starring actress/activist Jane Fonda. This week’s tagalong guests were Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., actresses June Diane Raphael, Brooklyn Decker, Marg Helgenberger, and Abigail Disney, a documentary filmmaker (daughter of Roy Disney).
As we know, Jane and her merry mob of marchers gather each Friday in Washingon, D.C. to protest climate change. The goal is for at least some of them to get themselves arrested to create a buzz and draw attention to their protest, as opposed to any other protest that may be going on at the time. This week’s theme was environmental justice – how climate change has a disproportionate impact on low-income communities and communities of color.
The Latino community is 40% more likely to die from asthma.
This is the end of the polite time. We’ve done the science, we’ve written letters. It’s better to live on our feet than die on our knees. Let’s fight on! La lucha!
–@markmagana with @GreenLatinos #FireDrillFriday pic.twitter.com/evy5VabnjC
— Fire Drill Fridays (@FireDrillFriday) November 15, 2019
Though Fonda said she would be arrested every week to continue to draw attention to the protests, that’s not really true. After a court date was set for November 27 from a previous arrest, she decided to avoid additional arrests until after her day in court. Otherwise, she would be subject to longer periods of time behind bars until her court date. After spending one night in jail (with the cockroaches, she said) she realized jail isn’t really such a cool place for an 81-year-old woman to be. An arrest before November 27 would likely put Fonda in jail for a month. Now she runs away as the time comes for Capitol Police to begin making arrests. Last week there were no arrests made.
This week, the protest included a sit-in at the Russell Senate Office Building. This is where the arrests took place.
This time, she was joined by Abigail Disney and Robert Kennedy Jr., among others, including actresses June Diane Raphael and Marg Helgenberger, for a sit-in.
RFK Jr., Raphael and Helgenberger were arrested along with others; all likely to be charged with crowding and obstructing or incommoding. It is unclear if Disney was arrested.
However, Fonda once again avoided arrest, as she did last week, because her stay in jail could have been a month.
We are committing civil disobedience in the senate to demand environmental justice! pic.twitter.com/THjuRraJC1
— Fire Drill Fridays (@FireDrillFriday) November 15, 2019
Thank you, @RobertKennedyJr for putting your body on the line. You have fought for environmental justice through litigation and agitation. #FireDrillFriday pic.twitter.com/Npt3ZWhmpa
— Fire Drill Fridays (@FireDrillFriday) November 15, 2019
Thank you @MargHelgen, who was just arrested with #FireDrillFriday pic.twitter.com/mbgTlv0vpZ
— Fire Drill Fridays (@FireDrillFriday) November 15, 2019
Since her boldness and commitment only carries her so far, Fonda watched her pals be arrested from the safety of a balcony. She cheered them on, no doubt thankful that they were willing to do what she wasn’t.
Now Jane Fonda leading the cheers as protestors over climate change are being arrested. #Climate #Protest pic.twitter.com/LGrejy8yaS
— Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) November 15, 2019
The irony isn’t lost on reasonable people that Jane Fonda, who wishes to usher in a socialist utopia in America via the Green New Deal, is unwilling to continue to be arrested because of the likely length of her next sentence. If she is put away for a month, she says it will interfere with her upcoming filming schedule for the next season of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie. She would suffer financially, as would the production and her cast mates. So far, the tally is three – three of her cast mates have been arrested over her latest pet project. Sam Waterson was in protest number two and the actress who plays her daughter was arrested Friday. Lily Tomlin is to join in on a protest soon. The actress who plays the daughter of Tomlin’s character was among those protesting Friday. It takes some nerve for Fonda to recruit her friends, ask them to risk arrest, and then turn and run when the time comes for police to make arrests. That is exactly what happened during this sixth Fire Drill Friday protest.
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