ARRESTED. WE SPENT TIME WITH HER AT ONE OF
THE PROTESTS TO SEE WHAT THEY
ARE ALL ABOUT.
>> Reporter: PROTESTS ARE A
COMMON SIGHT OUTSIDE THE U.S.
CAPITOL AND THE WHITE HOUSE
WHERE I COVER THE DAY’S LATEST
POLITICAL NEWS.
POLITICAL NEWS. BUT ON THIS DAY, HERE IN THE
RAIN, WE ARE ON HAND FOR A
PROTEST THAT’S DIFFERENT ARE THE
REST.
REST. WE HAVE BEEN OUT HERE FOR THE
LAST HOUR OR SO IN THE POURING
RAIN.
RAIN. THESE ACTIVISTS COME OUT EVERY
FRIDAY FOR WHAT THEY CALL FIRE
DRILL FRIDAY.
DRILL FRIDAY. IT IS DESIGNED TO CALL PAENGS TO
POLICIES THAT COMBAT CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. THE OTHER REASON WHY THIS
PROTEST HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS IS
BECAUSE JANE FONDA HAS REALLY
ATTACHED HERE’S TO IT.
THAT’S JOHN FONDA ON A NEW
CRUSADE, THIS TIME FIGHTING
CLIMATE CHANGE.
CLIMATE CHANGE. EVERY FRIDAY FOR THE PAST TWO
MONTHS, THE ICONIC OSCAR WINNING
ACTRESS AND LIFE LONG ACTIVIST
HAS LED DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE
NATION’S CAPITOL SOUNDING THE
ALARM ABOUT WHAT SHE CALLS A
CLIMATE EMERGENCY.
CLIMATE EMERGENCY. >> THIS IS REALLY A CRISIS AND
WE HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME.
THE SCIENTISTS SAY WE HAVE 11
YEARS.
YEARS. OTHER SCIENTISTS SAY THAT MAY BE
OPTIMISTIC.
OPTIMISTIC. >> WHY IS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
YOUR CHOSEN FORM OF PROTEST?
>> IT IS THE MOMENT.
IT IS NOT NORMALLY MY CHOSEN
FORM OF PROTEST BUT WE HAVE
TRIED EVERYTHING, ALL THE POLITE
WAYS THAT DEMOCRACY ALLOWS US,
PETITIONING, SPEECHES, BOOKS,
ARTICLES, RALLIES, MARCHES, AND
IT HASN’T GOTTEN US WHERE WE
NEED TO BE, THE LEVERS OF
SOCIETY, THE LEVERS OF DEMOCRACY
I MEAN PROVIDE US WITH THIS
ABILITY TO COMMIT NON-VIOLENT
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, TO RAISE THE
SENSE OF URGENCY.
AND THAT’S WHAT WE ARE DOING.
>> WHAT’S THE MESSAGE YOU ARE
TRYING CONVEY WITH THESE FRIDAY
DEMONSTRATIONS.
DEMONSTRATIONS. >> I WANT TO PUT MY BODY ON THE
LINE.
LINE. I WANT TO GET OUT OF MY COMFORT
ZONE IN A WAY THAT IS REGULAR
AND PRESENT AND SHOW PEOPLE THAT
THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO DO NOW.
BECAUSE I HAVE A HIT TELEVISION
SHOW BEHIND ME MORE PEOPLE WILL
PAY ATTENTION IN HER SO-CALLED
FIRE DRILL FRIDAYS ARE A WEEKLY
ROUTINE FOR FONDA, JOINED BY
OTHER PROTESTERS, INCLUDING A
STEADY STREAM OF CELEBRITY
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. SHE HAS BEEN ARRESTED FOR TIMES
SINCE STARTING THE PROTESTS.
>> WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
>> I AM WHITE AND I AM FAMOUS.
SO IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FOR ME.
IT WAS NOT FUN.
IT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE.
IT WAS NOT COMFORTABLE.
BUT THE WORST PART, AS I SAT
THERE ON THE METAL SLAB THAT WAS
MY BED THE SCREAMS, THE HOWLS
LITERALLY OF DESPAIR, THE
TUNNELS OF WORDS COMING OUT OF
MOUTHS THAT I COULDN’T SEE AND I
COULDN’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT
THE WORDS WERE.
THEY JUST NEVER STOPPED, ALL
NIGHT LONG, WITH BANGING ON THE
WALLS, AND SHAKING OF THE CAGE.
THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN
JAIL.
JAIL. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN -- WITH
MENTAL CARE.
MENTAL CARE. THESE ARE MENTAL ISSUES.
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
AND WE DON’T -- WITH POVERTY AND
RACISM WE DON’T PROVIDE A SOCIAL
SAFETY NET.
SAFETY NET. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO
SAY JANE FONDA IS A SOCIALIST
LIBERAL WHO IS TRYING TO GET
HERSELF IN THE NEWS?
>> I DON’T PAY ATTENTION.
LOOK AT THE CRITICISM AGAINST
GRETA THUNBERG.
GRETA THUNBERG. I SENT A MESSAGE, DON’T LET THEM
GET YOU.
GET YOU. IT IS BECAUSE YOU ARE BEING
EFFECTIVE THAT THEY ARE
CRITICIZING YOU.
CRITICIZING YOU. LOOK, I AM 82.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO
ANYTHING TO ME THAT HASN’T BEEN
DONE BACK IN THE DAY IN THE
’70s.
’70s. >> SHE WAS VILIFIED BY SOME FOR
HER PROTEST AGAINST THE VIETNAM
WAR.
WAR. >> FORCED INTO THE MILITARY.
>> I AM OLDER AND WISER.
I WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN THE
IMPORTANCE OF HAVING ALL WHITE
PEOPLE ON THE STAGE AT THAT
TIME.
TIME. I WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN THE
IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THE VOICES
FROM THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY
AND THE MOST VULNERABILITY
COMMUNITIES ON THAT STAGE.
IT HAS MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
IT IS AN OVERARCHING CRISIS THAT
AFFECTS EVERYONE.
AFFECTS EVERYONE. >> JANE FONDA SAYS SHE HAS
TEMPORARILY RELOCATED TO
WASHINGTON, D.C. NOW PLANNING
THE REPRISE HER LATEST STARRING
ROLE EVERY FRIDAY FOR THE REST
OF THE YEAR.
>> I WAS ARRESTED WITH TED
DANSON.
DANSON. I WATCHED HIS FACE AS WE WERE
HELD TOGETHER IN THAT WAREHOUSE.
I COULD SEE THAT SOMETHING WAS
HAPPENING TO HIM.
WHEN WE WERE RELEASED, HE CAME
TO ME AND HE THANKED ME IN A WAY
THAT WAS DIFFERENT.
HE SAID, NO, NO.
AND HE SAID THANK YOU.
AND HE SAID, YOU HAVE NO IDEA
HOW -- HOW THIS HAS AFFECTED ME.
AND YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN IN THE
HOLDING -- YOU KNOW, WHEN I
DIDN’T HAVE TO SPEND A NIGHT IN
JAIL BEFORE THEN.
MANICURIST, HAIR DRESSERS,
WORKING CLASS PEOPLE FROM ALL
OVER WHO HAVE NEVER DONE IT
BEFORE THAT ARE TRANSFORMED.
THAT’S WHAT TELLS ME, THIS IS
THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT
TIME.
TIME. I KNOW THAT THIS IS GOING TO
REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.