62 Arrested At NYC Climate Protest At City Hall, Police Say

CITY HALL, NY — Climate activists flooded the streets at City Hall Wednesday morning leading to 62 arrests, police said.

Activists from the Extinction Rebellion's New York chapter took over streets near City Hall. Some activists climbed up on light poles, dropping banners from above during the climate protest.

A few dozen people were laying in the street, a live video and photos posted by activists showed. NYPD officers were on the scene.

An NYPD spokesman said 62 people were arrested Wednesday morning — 60 for disorderly conduct and two for reckless endangerment, the latter involving hanging the protest banners.

Some 150 people were at the protest, according to the spokesman.

Extinction Rebellion "has blocked the roadways in front of City Hall demanding a #ClimateEmergency!" tweeted Alexandria Villaseñor, a 13-year-old climate activist who has been a part of a global movement of teens demanding action against climate change and one of the activists behind the School Strike 4 Climate movement, according to a Washington Post profile on Villaseñor.

Protesters had planned a rally at City Hall Wednesday morning to "demand that our government #Tell the Truth about the impacts and urgency of climate change and to pursue policies designed to reach zero emissions in the city by 2025," according to the activist group's website.

Last Friday, the group unfurled a banner during a Yankees game saying "DECLARE CLIMATE EMERGENCY," Yahoo Sports reported.

#InternationalRebellion @XR_NYC has blocked the roadways in front of City Hall demanding a #ClimateEmergency! XR climbers on lightposts all around with multiple banner drops! @ExtinctionR #ExtinctinRebellion @XrYouth @xryouthus pic.twitter.com/FEJvHYTJpF
— Alexandria Villaseñor (@AlexandriaV2005) April 17, 2019

https://t.co/9500lQuQs2
— Extinction Rebellion NYC (@XR_NYC) April 17, 2019

NYC #InternationalRebellion is getting underway at City Hall! Get ready! People are gathering and we already have the NYPD!@XR_NYC @ExtinctionR #ExtinctionRebellion #XRUS pic.twitter.com/WGDm1Kx9Vl
— Alexandria Villaseñor (@AlexandriaV2005) April 17, 2019