In an effort to effect change at the local level, the Sunrise Movement held a demonstration on Feb. 19 in the Utica office of Representative Anthony Brindisi. Eric Stenzel ’23 and Ele Sorenson ’23 organized the event in hopes of encouraging Brindisi to co-sponsor the Green New Deal created by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

This bill would make all public housing decarbonized, which, according to Stenzel, is equivalent to taking millions of cars off of the road. Furthermore, it would address safety concerns such as lead poisoning, which is an issue Utica is currently struggling with.

The Hamilton College Sunrise Movement is one of over 300 branches of a national organization. It strives to fight for the Green New Deal and promotes climate justice. It places an emphasis on prioritizing marginalized communities affected by climate change, such as people who live on coastlines, low-income people and people of color.

Prior to the demonstration, the members of the Sunrise Movement, along with several others from the nearby community, made phone calls and sent over 50 letters to Brindisi.

They decided to take further action after receiving a formal letter informing them that Brindisi supports climate change. The letter cited his support for a bill that passed over a year ago.

About 10 students took part in the demonstration, which lasted about a half-hour. Students held signs and caused a disturbance, which resulted in the attention of several staffers. Brindisi himself, however, never appeared.

Stenzel and Emily Fienco ’23 both gave short speeches, and the entire group sang a song called “Which Side Are You On,” which was adopted by the labor movement in the early 20th century.

Stenzel said that Brindisi did not offer a strong response to the demonstration. For this reason, the club would like to hold a larger demonstration in the future.

“There is room for us to work with him to get his support of the bill, so we’re hopeful,” Stenzel said. “We will keep applying pressure.”