Tacoma celebrates Earth Day and fights for climate justice
Tacoma, WA – Dozens of protesters rallied and marched for a strong climate commission in Tacoma, Washington in observation of Earth Day, April 18.
The crowd carried picket signs demanding a “strong climate commission” and “system change not climate change” as they marched from Point Defiance to Dune Park. Chants like “Cut the carbon emissions! Empower the climate commission!” echoed through the parks.
“The 'end of living' mentioned by the ancestors is not a distant threat – it is the reality of our current path if we do not act,” said River Bandi, a member of the Osage Nation and the Climate Alliance of the South Sound. “Let us leave this rally not just with signs, but with a vow: to act like we belong to the Earth. To protect the web as if our lives depend on it – because they do.”
Dune Park is built on a remediated Superfund site, the historic site of the Asarco copper smelter which spewed dangerous heavy metals and chemicals all over the South Sound region for nearly 100 years.
Attendees highlighted the importance of workers’ rights, indigenous sovereignty and climate justice. The city’s climate commission currently has no legal power and big businesses in Tacoma routinely take full advantage by violating treaty rights and polluting working-class communities, as well as building and maintaining projects in the interest of profit rather than the people of Tacoma.
“The oversight and policy we need in Tacoma to protect our air, land, water, and to protect us from a climate catastrophe doesn't exist,” stated Phil Harty, another member of CASS. “We demand a strong climate commission that can fight back against all attacks on the environment, that can respect the treaties and Indigenous sovereignty, that can ensure green jobs, and that protects the trees of Tacoma.”
A wide range of community organizations were represented at the march, and speakers highlighted the need for uniting together to fight against the big corporations driving environmental disaster in Tacoma and beyond.
“It's clear this climate catastrophe isn't an accident; it's a direct result of the system that we live under. U.S. monopoly capitalists profit, while the working people of the world face the consequences,” said Ari Pahoundis, an organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
The fight for a strong climate commission continues as community members gear up to launch a citizen’s initiative to get the issue on the ballot in 2027.