Dear police officer...

Dear police officer,

I don’t claim to know how you feel.

… but I could tell you were annoyed with me and I understand that.

I don’t know if you have kids in your life, I’m a mother. Sometimes my kids do things I explicitly told them not to and it makes me feel like I don’t matter.

I sincerely hope I didn’t make you feel that way.

We’ve all seen it this summer, the climate crisis is happening. There were devastating extreme weather events all over the world, just like the IPCC report predicted. It also says it will get much worse if we don’t rapidly shift away from burning fossil fuels.

Despite promises to stop, the Dutch government still spends over €40 billion on fossil subsidies every year. That comes down to more than €2000 for each of us, EVERY YEAR.

Meanwhile, that same government asks us if we can please take shorter showers to save the planet. If all of that is not ridiculous, I don’t know what is.

I imagine, dear police officer, that in a couple of years, those kids that don’t always listen will have questions. They will ask why we didn’t do something before it was too late and they will be right.

That’s why I have to do something, because all of this matters, as do you.

With love,

I’ve written about Extinction Rebellion and civil disobedience before.

Here’s a comic about why I joined Extinction Rebellion, subtly hidden between some parenting humor.

Here's a piece on why I think blocking a road is both a pain in the ass and a good idea.

Questions? Concerns? Let me know!