When we first introduced you to Adah Crandall, she was just 15 and already fighting a freeway in the backyard of her former middle school. A few months later, in the summer of 2021, she was leading youth climate activists in a weekly protest outside Oregon Department of Transportation headquarters in downtown Portland.
And one year ago this week, Crandall confronted a powerful state legislator in a hallway in the State Capitol in Salem.
Now Crandall has a full-time job with Sunrise Movement and has thrust onto the national stage after being arrested early Monday morning in Los Angeles. Crandall and about 40 other young climate activists coordinated a protest action outside the home of Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a video of her arrest sent to BikePortland (below), Crandall is in handcuffs with several officers around her and can be heard saying, over a chorus of supportive singing from other activists, “My home in Oregon is on fire and Biden is continuing to expand fossil fuels at record rates!”
I caught up with Crandall after she was released from jail and asked her about the protest, her activism in general, what it was like to be in jail, and what her next move will be…
Jonathan Maus
Sunday night on your Instagram stories, you were in such a good mood. Can you tell me happened after that last story when you’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re we’re gonna have a sleepover with the Secret Service!’ Take me through what happened after that.
Adah Crandall
On Sunday morning we started rallying outside of Harris’s house in LA, near the Secret Service blockade. And then a group of us ended up staying and camping out overnight. That was chill, and they didn’t try to arrest us for that, even though it’s technically illegal to camp out on the sidewalk. But then the next morning we did a road blockade and actually prevented cars from coming or going through the Secret Service blockade down the street. And then six Sunrise people were arrested, including three from Portland.
Jonathan Maus
Was it a pretty straightforward arrest? How did it happen?
Adah Crandall
Yeah, it was a pretty standard protest arrest.
Jonathan Maus
What is the specific ask of Vice President Harris? What demand was so important that it brought you to her house?
Adah Crandall
Sunrise has been running a national campaign trying to get Biden to declare a climate emergency. We did an action at this campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware a few months ago where a bunch of people got arrested sitting in the office — so this is a continuation of that campaign. And Kamala Harris is kind of a secondary target, because she is one of the people with the most influence over Biden, and could use her power as vice president to get Biden to declare a climate emergency.
The other thing is that in 2019, Kamala Harris actually said she supported a Green New Deal, and she co-sponsored a controversial resolution in the Senate. So we’re asking Harris to be the kind of leader now that she was in 2019, and don’t back down on those promises.
Jonathan Maus
Why do you think Harris hasn’t been as much of a climate champion as you’ve expected?
Adah Crandall
I think that there is a general sense among politicians that they’re they’re scared to take this really bold action. And the Biden administration is in a difficult place of trying to win the election, but also, the numbers show he needs the youth vote if he’s gonna’ win. And in order to get the youth vote, he needs to declare a climate emergency and call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
You know, a lot of people ask, ‘Well are you going to vote for Biden when it comes down to it?’ And the truth is, I don’t know. His administration is really out-of-touch with what our generation is asking for. And he can’t expect our votes to be given just because we’ve campaigned for him in the past.
Jonathan Maus
Why do you think it’s so difficult for Biden to declare a climate emergency. Isn’t it just a proclamation?
Adah Crandall
Yeah the climate emergency declaration is largely symbolic, but there also are a lot of tangible things that could happen if we declared a national emergency on climate. It would unlock federal powers to do things like; create green union jobs, use the force of the federal government to prepare communities for climate disasters, and actually put an end to the Fossil Fuel Era, do things like prosecuting oil executives for their crimes against humanity. And so there are a lot of bold things that could be done if a climate emergency was declared that are the type of climate solutions we need to actually meet the scale of this crisis. But Biden is being a coward. And he’s bought out by the fossil fuel industry and he’s not fighting for everyday people and young people across the country — even though he needs our votes in November.
Jonathan Maus
Why are you combining climate change activism with the pro-Palestine, ceasefire in Gaza demand?
Adah Crandall
Because sunrise is an organization that is fighting for the liberation of all people and sees the climate crisis, as, not just an issue in the US; but a global issue. Fighting against a genocide is very much a part of our values. And we simply can’t have a president that is literally funding the bombing of children overseas while climate disasters are killing people here every day. So I think a big part of it is to highlight the dichotomy of that. And also, these are like the two biggest issues that are swaying Gen Z and the youth vote this election.
Jonathan Maus
You started your activism here in Portland, now you’re working on more national issues. What is your current role at Sunrise?
Adah Crandall
I started as an organizer in Portland. I graduated high school and joined like the national Green New Deal for Schools team. So most of my job is coaching students around the country to run local school district climate campaigns. And sunrise has about 120 chapters around the country. We’re doing a combination of local-issue based campaigns on things like transit and housing, and then also have hubs that are doing local organizing for this national climate emergency campaign targeting Biden.
Jonathan Maus
What’s next for you?
Adah Crandall
I’m working full-time on the Green New Deal for Schools campaign. I’m planning to move to Chicago for the summer to help run a summer camp with the Chicago Sunrise chapter for their campaign and support student organizing there. And nationally, with Sunrise’s climate emergency campaign, we have a big day of action coming up on Earth Day in partnership with Friday’s for Future where they’re going to be teach-ins planned all over the country targeting local congressional representatives and asking them to call on Biden to declare a climate emergency.
Jonathan Maus
Is there anything about the arrest that you want to say in terms of, what it means for you personally?
Adah Crandall
It’s obviously not an easy decision to put your body on the line like that. But to me, it is an action that meets the stakes of the crisis. And I think we’re going to need to be brave and be bold and do a lot of really scary things to win this fight. And, yeah, it was terrifying [to get arrested]; but it felt really powerful. And I feel really grateful for the organizers that organize with me. And being in jail and hearing my friends singing from cells down the hallway was kind of a beautiful moment, despite how miserable we all were.
Jonathan Maus
Thanks, Adah. Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate it.
Adah Crandall
Thank you.