A new arrest for Boise school board member — this time at Biden’s campaign headquarters

Boise School Board Trustee Shiva Rajbhandari was arrested Monday alongside several others at President Joe Biden’s Delaware-based campaign headquarters — the second time he has been arrested advocating for political leaders to take action to combat climate change.

Rajbhandari told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview that he was one of 21 people — including two former Boise students — who were charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct after they entered the campaign’s headquarters demanding the president declare a climate emergency. The News Journal, a Willmington-based newspaper, reported that the protesters refused to leave once police arrived.

“My home is under attack: wildfires, storms, droughts, hurricanes,” Rajbhandari said as he was arrested Monday, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The climate crisis is here and Biden has the power to do something about it, all we’re asking is that he use the tools at his disposal.”

Rajbhandari’s arrest was first reported by the Idaho Press locally.

The protesters were a part of the Sunrise Movement, a climate policy nonprofit. Rajbhandari is a paid part-time organizer for the group. The nonprofit is asking the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency that would include halting any new fossil fuel developments, investigating and prosecuting fossil fuel leaders, and investing in renewable energy, according to a list of demands.

“We’ve got to hold President Biden accountable,” Rajbhandari said by phone.

Rajbhandari has a track record of protesting national leaders’ stances on climate change. In September, the college freshman was arrested in New York City over the use of fossil fuels, and in January he was kicked out of a Ron DeSantis event after he jumped up onto the stage and interrupted the former Republican candidate during a campaign rally, according to prior Statesman reporting.

This has been to the disapproval of Boise School Board President Dave Wagers. He previously told the Statesman that he thought Rajbhandari’s actions at DeSantis’ Iowa campaign event were “disrespectful,” but that the board can’t remove an elected trustee.

“His behavior undermines the work our Board, our teachers, and our administrators do every day to ensure our students and families are treated with respect and dignity,” Wagers said by email in January. “Frankly, his actions not only undermine the trust our community places in our schools, but also our Board’s ability to work as a team.”

Rajbhandari has previously said he doesn’t think there is a conflict between his work as a school board leader and his actions as an activist, and he stood by that opinion Tuesday. Rajbhandari added that his work as a climate activist isn’t new and that he doesn’t work for the school board, but instead for the students and families who elected him.

“When I was elected I promised Boise students that I would stand with them in this fight for our lives — the fight of our generation — for a livable future, and I’m continuing to uphold that promise,” Rajbhandari said. “And I will continue to do so regardless of what other folks think.”

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