Protesters with the Sunrise Movement youth climate group push for new Senate leadership and ending the filibuster
Dozens of protesters with the Sunrise Movement, a youth climate organization, were arrested after staging a sit-in inside Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer’s Washington DC office Thursday
According to the Sunrise Movement, 54 people were arrested, among a few hundred who joined the protest from across the country, including some from New York, which Schumer represents. On its Instagram, the group is fundraising $24,000 to cover the bail fees and any potential legal fees for those arrested.
Capitol police were not immediately available for comment.
In a clip on the Sunrise Movement’s Instagram, with over 40,000 likes at the time of publication, young people sitting on the office floor chanted: “Hey hey, ho ho, Schumer has got to go!” Protesters, including children, held signs reading “The filibuster kills,” “Stop the climate crisis,” and “Schumer: Step up or step aside.”
As Senate Democrats prepare to vote on a majority leader for the upcoming Congress, they’re wrestling with how to navigate what feels like a clear mandate for anti-establishment voices from communities historically underrepresented in federal office to step into leadership.
