In a continued effort to pressure the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to divest from fossil fuels, environmental activists and organizers with 350 Seattle were joined by The Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir as they attempted to enter the Gates Foundation Headquarters. Security from the Gates Foundation refused to allow the activists access to the lobby where the choir planned to perform a song. Instead of the lobby, the choir and activists gathered near the front door to spread the message of climate change. Everyone left the Gates Foundation grounds when two units from the Seattle Police Department arrived. There were no arrests.

Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir are currently on tour, opening for Neal Young, but can often be found at protests and demonstrations around the country. From the website, “We compel action in those who have never been activist,  revive exhausted activists, and devise new methods for future activism. We also put on a great show.” You can find out more about the Revered and his group of “… wild anti-consumerist gospel shouters and Earth loving urban activists who have worked with communities all over the world defending community, life and imagination.”