NEW YORK CITY, New York — Climate activist and Boise school board member, Shiva Rajbhandari, was arrested at a climate protest in New York City on Monday. Rajbhandari and the group he was with were demanding leaders to end fossil fuel finance and declare a climate emergency.
The former Boise High School graduate traveled from the University of North Carolina, where he is enrolled, to New York blocking the entrance to the federal reserve.
"It is on leaders like me to take action and work to solve this crisis and I would say that really it is the responsibility of all leaders to have the courage to stand up to the fossil fuel industry," said Rajbhandari.
A University of Idaho student who joined Rajbhandari says they both took into account the chance of arrest when it came to the protest.
"Civil disobedience, part of it is planned like Sheva and I went into it knowing the consequences of these actions," said Ella Weber, student at U of I.
In response to the arrest, school board president Dave Wagers said,"Trustee Shiva Rajbhandari was duly elected by the voters of the Boise School District area and we, as trustees, hold no authority over another trustee. The Boise School District Board of Trustees remain committed to keeping our focus on our students, our families, our teachers, our community and the many Boise School District programs that contribute to educating our students today for a better tomorrow."
One Boise high school student says even though the arrest is surprising, she supports the Rajbhandari's choice to support the fight against climate change.
"I think if a school board member is going to be arrested, I think this is definitely like the thing to be arrested for and yeah it is very shocking," said Emilia Anders, senior at Boise High School.
"I was proud to partake in the mass civil disobedience at the Fed today alongside hundreds of fearless activists from across the country. Playing by the rules hasn’t worked," wrote Rajbhandari in an X, formerly known as Twitter, post.
Rajbhandari was released just hours after his arrest.
