Tag Archives: Miriam Kashia

Court fails to understand urgency of climate crisis

Last week, a Polk County District judge ruled against the Climate Defenders Five, finding us guilty of misdemeanor trespass in our protest against President Trump's abject denial of climate science during the president's visit to West Des Moines in June. With all due respect, the Court completely failed to understand the growing urgency of the climate emergency, and thus the necessity justification of our defense. My fellow defendants, Channing Dutton (our attorney), and I feel pretty strongly that the Court erred. Will we be filing an appeal? Hell yes! Stay tuned.

Guilty or Not Guilty: You Decide

Miriam Kashia of the Climate Defenders Five, wrote this statement to read in court Tuesday, November 12th. The prosecuting attorney objected to her reading a pre-written statement, a document which explains why Miriam was protesting at Trump’s Fundraiser and “trespassed” onto HyVee property. We have posted her statement below: GUILTY OR NOT-GUILTY: YOU DECIDE On November 12, I and four others were tried for a simple misdemeanor trespass. Our “crime” was for entering a privately owned parking lot while protesting for climate action at a Continue reading →

Climate Activists Go to Trial

“Women's right to vote. Civil rights. Stopping the Vietnam War. Environmental protections. The Women's Movement. LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. These and so many other significant social justice shifts were accomplished because ordinary citizens were willing to take to the streets, and in many cases, willing to commit civil disobedience,” said Kashia. "History tells us that this is what has turned the tide.”

Lots going on!

We've got a quick update for you this week on some important developments. Please read and share. CLIMATE JUSTIFICATION TRIAL. DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE (DAPL). CLIMATE BIRD DOGS. IOWA'S ANTI-PROTEST LAW. JESSICA AND RUBY.

Trump fiddles while the earth burns

Miriam Kashia of 100 Grannies for a Livable Future, was a guest columnist for the Gazette and wrote an op-ed piece for their October 9 edition.  Miriam and her group have worked repeatedly with Bold Iowa and she is one of the Iowa Climate Defenders Five who will stand trial for trespassing on Hy-Vee property during a Trump fundraiser.  The op-ed piece she wrote discusses the climate strikers that the Grannies have been helping and how we cannot depend on our government (especially under this Continue reading →

Iowa Climate Defenders Five go to trial

“Given the absolute urgency of the climate crisis and our concern about a million species that will soon be extinct if we don’t act to reverse this crisis immediately, we felt totally justified to be there and to confront Republican donors and the president himself to take action to address climate change, before it’s too late,” said Miriam Kashia of 100 Grannies for a Livable Future, one of the five arrested.

Risking arrest for our future

Dear Friends, Earlier this summer, President Trump visited West Des Moines for a GOP fundraiser. Bold Iowa was there to expose the president’s climate denial to the donors who came to support him. Five of us — Todd Steichen, Kathy Byrnes, Miriam Kashia, Martin Monroe, and I — blocked an entrance to the facility’s parking lot. We then carried our banner toward the building and were arrested by West Des Moines police. We were charged with simple misdemeanor trespass. WE GO TO TRIAL AND NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Continue reading →

Iowa Climate Activists on Trial for Arrest at Trump Fundraiser

Thirty Bold Iowa supporters called out the president’s climate denial to the donors who came to support him. Protestors blocked one of the entrances to the facility’s parking lot. Later, five carrying a banner approached the building, hoping to enter and bring their urgent message to the attention of president and his supporters. At that point, they were arrested by West Des Moines police for simple misdemeanor trespass.