BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Boise School Board member Shiva Rajbhandari was arrested Monday after entering President Joe Biden’s campaign headquarters.
Rajbhandari was one of 21 people arrested in Wilmington, Delaware, after they entered the headquarters with the goal of speaking to campaign staff about Biden’s campaign promises, namely those involving clean energy and climate change.
Rajbhandari was charged with two misdemeanors — trespassing and disorderly conduct — and spent about 10 hours in jail, he told the Idaho Press.
“We wanted to talk to the Biden campaign staff and about his promises that he made. We were there to ask him to declare a climate emergency and put frontline communities first,” Rajbhandari said. “And rather than speak to us and address President Biden’s broken promises, staff opted to have us arrested.”
It was Rajbhandari’s second arrest, the first being in New York in September 2023 while protesting the financing of fossil fuel investments.
Rajbhandari’s likeness also circulated the internet in mid-January after he was tackled at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign event. In a video posted online, Rajbhandari can be seen jumping onstage and calling DeSantis a “climate criminal” before he is brought down by security staff.
Rajbhandari, 19, was elected to the Boise School Board in 2022, while he was a senior at Boise High School. He is currently an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is serving out his two-year school board term from afar.
“The message I want to send a voice to students is that I stand with them, and I will not stop fighting for them and alongside them in this fight for our lives,” he said. “... I want to tell them that their voice does have power and they can make a difference, but it doesn’t mean they have to get arrested. It means they can do what what they see fit.”
The Boise School Board has previously confirmed to the Idaho Press that because Rajbhandari was duly elected, he cannot be removed from his post unless he is recalled.
“Trustee Shiva Rajbhandari was duly elected by the voters of the Boise School District area and we, as trustees, hold no authority over another trustee,” Boise School Board President Dave Wagers said in an emailed statement. “The Boise School District Board of Trustees remain committed to keeping our focus on our students, our families, our teachers, our community and the many Boise School District programs that contribute to educating our students today for a better tomorrow.”
Sanshray Kukutla, a Northeastern University student who attended Timberline High School, was also arrested on Monday. Rajbhandari and Kukutla, also 19, previously worked together in 2021 to get Boise schools to pass a clean energy commitment.
Rajbhandari recalled his time running cross country for Boise High and having to practice indoors because of wildfire smoke. During his freshman year, after coming home from practice, Rajbhandari would blow soot out of his nose. This is exactly why he’s protesting, he said.
“President Biden is going to lose if he does not live up to his campaign promises and act on climate,” Rajbhandari said. “Young people across this country, including folks in Boise and Northeastern and at UNC, are legitimately considering not voting because of how colossally President Biden has failed to live up to his campaign promises.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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