Green Groups Back Protesters -- But Grapple With Own Issues With Race

"Green groups are expressing full-throated support for demonstrators protesting the killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis police custody — even as they struggle with their own long-standing issues with addressing racial inequality and a lack of diversity in their ranks.

The climate movement is marshaling its members as cities across the country erupt in pain and rage at police brutality.

The Sierra Club, one of the nation’s oldest green groups, sent an email to its supporters amplifying calls by black activists to cut funding for the Minneapolis Police Department. Yet another group, 350.org, asked about half a million people in an email blast to donate funds to bail out activists arrested during demonstrations.

The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group, is training protesters to wear masks and carry hand sanitizer to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus.

The League of Conservation Voters, along with a number of other green groups, co-signed a letter calling on Congress to ban police from using moves that restrict the flow of oxygen or blood to the brain. The group also said one of its organizers in Arizona, Jess Bristow, was arrested during a demonstration over the weekend."

Dino Grandoni reports for the Washington Post with Paulina Firozi June 2, 2020.

Source: Washington Post, 06/05/2020