The Environmental Protection Agency was founded in 1970 by former Republican President Richard Nixon. Protesters who marched through downtown San Diego on Monday said another Republican President, Donald Trump, is trying to ruin it.
“We’re just fed up with what the Trump administration has been doing, attacking our communities, their climate," said Shayne Petkiewicz. Petkiewicz volunteers with the climate action group, San Diego 350, that organized the protest and march.
“We’re here to support one, the EPA workers that have been fired. We’re here to protest against the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine climate action," Petkiewicz said.
The protesters marched first to a spot outside the Edward J Schwarz Courthouse. There, retired EPA employee David Fege urged the crowd to raise their voices in support of his former colleagues who are still on the job.
“They’re on the third floor of the other side of the building, they still didn’t hear you … one more time," Fege said as the crowd cheered.
From a place representing federal power, they marched to the seat of municipal power —San Diego City Hall, where we heard more from Fege.
“Urge this administration to put EPA back on its feet. They want clean water, they want clean air, they want climate change attended to and they don’t like what’s going on," Fege said.
The protesters said they won’t stop until the firings of EPA employees are rolled back, because as a lot of their signs said "there is no Planet B."
