On Wednesday afternoon, the Iowa City Student Climate Strike announced that Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist who inspired the movement, would be joining the Iowa City students for a rally on the Ped Mall at noon. The response to that news was so overwhelming the event had to be moved to a larger venue to accommodate the anticipated crowd.
We're moving our climate strike with @GretaThunberg down the block. Pass the word, climate strikers! We have a climate emergency–in Iowa, in the nation, and the world–and we must act now. No more excuses. pic.twitter.com/9VcaCVKWcf
— Student Climate Striker in Iowa City (@moogysmaszimo) October 3, 2019
The event will take place downtown at the intersection of North Dubuque Street and Iowa Avenue. To prepare for the rally, Dubuque Street, from East Jefferson Street to East Washington Street, and Iowa Avenue, from South Linn Street to North Clinton Street, will be closed starting at 6 a.m. on Friday. The streets are expected to be reopened by 4 p.m., the city said in a press release.
“Vehicles parked in tow-away zones in that area will be towed if parked between 2 and 6 a.m.,” according to the Iowa City Police Department.
The event will also cause changes to the bus service, the city announced.
Starting at 6 a.m. Friday, the bus interchange will move from Washington and Clinton Street to a temporary location on Court Street between Clinton and Dubuque (adjacent to the Court Street Transportation Center) until the service day is concluded. Normal bus service utilizing the main transit interchange will resume on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019.
There also will be no Northside Free Shuttle service for the entirety of the day.
The starting time for the Iowa City Student Climate Strike rally on Friday remains noon.
