Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun All eyes turned toward the 75,000 person climate march in New York City this weekend, but equally impressive were the direct actions and civil disobedience that accompanied it. On Wall Street, 1,000 activists were arrested. At the Federal Reserve Bank, 149 more arrests occurred. Blockades of other major fossil fuel…

Symphonies, Ballets, Sports, Motorways: Shut It Down For Climate Action. Plus, Justice For Construction Workers
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Let’s start with some good news: new research has shown that the climate strikes launched by Greta Thunberg and Fridays for the Future have changed the behaviors of one third of Switzerland’s residents. Remember this the next time asks you: what’s the point of protesting? Also remember that this research…

The 1907 French Mustache Strike, Corn Maze Messages, Stop EACOP & Blank Card Protests
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun As the planet heats up and the burden of climate disasters is shared unequally, climate activists are increasingly articulating the demand that global wealth be redistributed to address this. Specifically, much of the wealth of the global south was – and still is – extracted to colonial nations, leaving behind…

DIY Solutions, Comeuppance For Union-Busters, Stadiums of Oil, Fukushima Protests
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Here’s a little good news on US Labor Day Weekend: big companies often resort to sneaky – and scary – tactics to keep workers from forming unions. A new ruling from the US National Labor Relations Board might make them think twice. The recent decision ruled that companies caught engaging…

#UnionGirlSummer, History Protests, Ecuador Protects Rainforest, Italy’s Salt Boycott
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun It was an unprecedented effort and an unparalleled achievement: Atlanta organizers collected 104,000 signatures to put #StopCopCity on the ballot. It’s the most successful referendum initiative of its kind. (To get a sense of the scale, there are only 500,000 people in Atlanta, GA.) At the same time, the urgent…

Hammer Time, Sunrise To Sunset Hunger Strike & Summer Strike Wave
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun In Augusta, Maine, ironworkers wanted raises – and everybody heard about it. At “hammer time”, they slammed their hammers on beams, tables, and the columns which supported the company’s second-floor office. The reverberations could literally be felt at the negotiating table. No wonder they won. Speaking of wins, a historic…

Humanity vs. Headless Mannequins, Chocolates & Chats, Bakeries For All Minds
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. As I studied the image of the Stop EACOP rally against a large oil pipeline in Uganda, I noticed something odd. What appeared to be rows of supporters demonstrating from the balconies of the buildings – a clever tactic that could…

Turkish Forest Defenders, Japan’s Darting Boy & Texas’ Thirst Strike
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Turkey’s Akbelen Forest has been razed relentless by loggers, but women and community members are mobilizing to halt deforestation. They face arrests, tear gas, and intimidation, but they won’t back down in their protection of this dwindling ecosystem. It’s the kind of courage and determination that we all need to…

Tenants Act, Tiny Russian Peace Protesters, Pilots Strike Wins, Israel In the Streets
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Sometimes, you hear a demand so impactful in its strategy that you can’t help but cheer the campaign on. In the United States, tenants are demanding that President Biden implement rent control on all government-backed housing projects. This move could impact up to 1/3 of all renters in the United…

Heat Wave Triggers Strike Wave – When Social Issues Collide
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun In Nonviolence News this week, you can see the burning ties between environmental justice and labor rights. Last week, we shared a report about the first-ever strike among Amazon drivers who, in the middle of a brutal heatwave, protested their equally brutal and punishing schedule. Now, 340,000 UPS drivers are…