‘Make Billionaires Pay’ Sept. 20 Protest Action Mobilizes Climate and Social Justice Activists

Interview with Madison Sheppard, youth climate activist and lead organizer with Fridays For Future Cape Cod, Massachusetts, conducted by Scott Harris

Make billionaires pay

On Sept. 20, as world leaders gather in New York City for the United Nations Annual General Assembly meeting, thousands of activists across a range of social movements will take to the streets for what they expect will be the largest mass-mobilization since the “No Kings” protests across the U.S. in June.

A coalition of more than 100 groups are organizing the September protest actions, dubbed “Make Billionaires Pay,” in New York City, and nearly 200 other locations across the U.S., linking the need to address the climate crisis, migrant justice and gender equity.  The three central demands of the action are: Shut down billionaires to fund our future; Shut down fascists to protect migrants and the global majority; and Shut down polluters to defend mother earth.

The protest comes as the Trump regime has been engaged in dismantling dozens of landmark federal environmental clean air, clean water and climate regulations on an apocalyptic scale since January. Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Madison Sheppard, youth climate activist and lead organizer with Fridays For Future Cape Cod, who talks about the “Make Billionaires Pay” international mobilization for climate justice happening Sept. 19-21.

MADISON SHEPPARD: Make Billionaires Pay. We have three main demands that are shut down billionaires to fund our future shut down fascists to protect migrants in the global majority and to shut down polluters and defend Mother Earth. We are putting a lot of emphasis in New York City because Trump, world leaders and their billionaire allies will be gathering in New York City for the weekend for the U.N. General Assembly and the New York Climate Week. And we’re putting big emphasis on Sept. 20 because that is also the Global Climate Strike. It happens every year. And we are having a mass mobilization march through New York City where we are going to be marching through to show our opposition to the tax cuts for the wealthy and Big Oil handouts that drive both oppression and climate chaos. If you’d like to join us, we will be on Park Avenue in Manhattan between 46th Street and 49th Street at 12 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 20.

SCOTT HARRIS: Madison, I wanted to check in with you about the coalition of groups that have come together to sponsor the protest in New York cities, but also the other gatherings that will be taking place in other locations. Who’s part of the coalition? I know labor organizations, environmental groups, religious denominations, but there’s a lot more. Maybe you can run down some of the groups that you’re working with in preparation for the New York City protest and the other locations, too.

MADISON SHEPPARD: So we have 180-plus endorsers from across the country and those are all groups that are actively going to show up or are helping set this up. But there are four main groups that are contributing to this movement and this event, which are 350.org, DRUM, Climate Defenders and Women’s March. And they are a mix of both climate groups and human rights groups.

SCOTT HARRIS:  Madison, I wondered if you might run down some of the things that you’re most concerned about that the Trump administration has done in terms of the environment and climate since they took office in January. And that’s in addition to immediately withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. In March, the Trump administration announced plans to repeal dozens of environmental protections, including limits on soot, air toxics, mercury and other cancer-causing pollutions from cars, trucks, power plants, the oil and gas industry, iron and steel manufacturing and other industrial sources. It seemed just like a wholesale deregulation.
We’re also aware, of course, that there was a major finding of the EPA that was backed by the U.S. Supreme Court that basically said the EPA could regulate greenhouse gases because it was harmful to human health and the Trump administration is now trying to repeal that, which could be the basis to repeal all climate regulations. Add anything to that, if you would, in terms of your level of concern about what we’re seeing rolled back here?
MADISON SHEPPARD: Yeah, there definitely is a sort of back-to-back attacks on our environment, our rights, just anything that he can really strip away to keep the rich richer and the rest of us reaping the consequences of their actions, he will do it. I do like to put a big emphasis on his attacks towards renewable energy. This also coincides with the narrative that fossil fuel companies will put out and billionaires that are backing and investing in the fossil fuel companies. They’re spreading misinformation saying that it is more costly to implement green energy and renewable energies, which is completely false.
If we’re looking at the Lazard annual report on electricity generation, it concluded that renewables are the most cost-competitive form of generation even without subsidies. The way they do this is they want to keep us overwhelmed, confused and misinformed because that’s a big tool they use to keep control over us and to keep the money flowing.

They care more about these short-term profits than they do about long-term profits.

If we’re also talking about his attack on the Roadless Rule and the Marine Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. It could be very overwhelming. They want us to be overwhelmed. It could be overwhelming for me too, even just talking about it like, wow, there’s so many different things I want to cover. But yeah, I think a really big one is the attack on renewable energies, because that really could be our next step to a greener future. Fossil fuel emissions are a huge contributor to the climate crisis.

For more information on the Make Billionaires Pay, international mobilization for climate justice, visit Make Billionaires Pay website at makebillionairespay.us.

Listen to Scott Harris’ in-depth interview with Madison Sheppard (16:35) and see  more articles and opinion pieces in the related links section of this page. For periodic updates on the Trump authoritarian playbook, subscribe here to our Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine Substack newsletter to get updates to our “Hey AmeriKKKa, It’s Not Normal” compilation.

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