Dear Governor Brown…

February 8, 2015

Dear Governor Brown,

Yesterday we came to Oakland, your old home town.

Eight thousand of us stood shoulder to shoulder.

We marched.

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We chanted.

We danced.

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We sang.

We beat our drums.

We made art out of our messages.

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We smiled.

But we are serious too.

We came from all parts of California.

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A lot of us got here by bus.

I came from Santa Barbara.

My brother-in-law was there too.

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And some of us came from beyond California …

… because we all want to go beyond California.

And a lot of our friends aren’t even human.

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So, we all have a question for you.

You see, we’re puzzled, because….

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And it seems like you don’t always remember …

... to think.

To realize there are consequences.

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We feel you should know this by now.

Others have done it before you. And many others will after you.

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So, listen carefully: there are some things we need you to do.

There are quite a few things we’re very concerned about…

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Things that make us angry …

Things we intend to stop…

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And things we’ve had enough of.

And there are so many things we do want…

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Like putting an end to fracking in our state.

… and in our communities.

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It will be great when our schools reflect our values too.

Oh. We also want…

… healthy bodies.

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(Have you heard? “Save a life – you’re a hero. Save a hundred lives – you’re a nurse.”)

We believe that everyone deserves clean water.

Everyone should be able to breathe clean air.

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And we all need clean energy. Right now.

We want you to love everyone, including our mother, the Earth, as much as we do.

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Most of all, we dream of … a future.

So what we need you to show us now is simply this.

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Because we want…

That’s “Climate Justice.”

And we want it now.

Because tomorrow will be too late.

And today is not too soon.

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We think it’s time –

To stand up.

For what we believe in.

We are California.

And beyond.