Protester chained to a barrel on I-93 in Milton. Photo by Curmudgeon Prophet.
After weeks of trying to evade police lines at highway ramps downtown and in the Back Bay in nighttime attempts to shut down a road, Black Lives Matter protesters managed to shut down I-93 this morning in East Milton Square and at Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford.
In East Milton Square, protesters parked a box truck on the side of the highway around 7:30 a.m., then jumped out with a banner and barrels filled with concrete with arm-sized holes for chained themselves into.
Col. Tim Alben of State Police tweeted:
Arrests will be ongoing at any and all locations where individuals have obstructed traffic.
At 9 a.m., State Police reported 17 arrests in Medford and 6 in East Milton Square.
State Police waving drivers around protesters with arms encased in concrete-filled barrels in East Milton Square; photo by Zoe Rose de Paz:
I-93 jammed; photo by Ben Menoza:
State Police overseeing the removal of concrete-filled barrels after protesters were cut out of them; photo by Zoe Rose de Paz:
That's a lot of troopers, Milton cops and firefighters; photo by Joseph Gugliotta:
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Comments
They Blocked a Train, Not Individual Cars
By John Costello
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:11am
You have all taken the T. When a train is stopped you have to rely on the messages of the driver to appraise you of the situation since you are not looking forward. It could have been a dead deer on the tracks for the train instead of a photo op. The train was stopped for 4 minutes by the way. Big deal. This is called nearly everyday on most commuter rail lines.
If you try to stop individual cars, filled with people who have had a few in them it will be a different story.
Millions of people will be watching the AFC championship game, 60,000 will be going to Foxboro. This game will be the national focus for nearly 4 hours. If they try to protest there, the results will be different. Many, many people will get hurt, not by me, nor do I condone it, but Chuck from Palmer might have a different idea.
Nonsense
By Kaz
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:14am
To stop "individual cars" you just have to stop about 4 cars (2 lanes plus 2 shoulders) and the rest will have to stop behind them.
Chuck from Palmer may be an insane Pats fan, but he's not a homicidally insane Pats fan. If he is, then maybe it's best they helped identify this in him before he killed a less public and obvious target.
What did I do?
By Chuck from Palmer
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 3:39pm
I even have some black friends in Springfield!
Blueprint for success?
By Brian Riccio
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:16am
They stopped cops from killing unarmed black men? Everywhere? Or just on those train tracks?
Yawn
By Kaz
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:12am
They blocked the Pats train to Foxboro last weekend. Nobody died. They got noticed, held the train for the same length of time that Michael Brown laid on the ground before anyone approached him to check his vitals, then let the train through.
And they still made it home
By Brian Riccio
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:14am
in time for the season premiere of "Girls".
Irony
By Ishmael Jones
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:18am
They block a train filled with people going to support a team made up of black and white players united for a common goal.
Equal but separate
By Kaz
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:26am
Yep and those same black players will tell you that even though they're treated the same on the field and revered by millions: When they step off the field, put on civilian clothes, and try to go home, they're eyed by every cop who sees them in a fancy car. They tell their kids to never interact with police for fear they'll end up shot. Their millions don't protect them from the color of their skin if they're not wearing their jersey.
http://www.espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&...
Yeah, it was a long time ago, but ...
By SwirlyGrrl
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:34am
Dee Brown.
Every cop?
By Pete Nice
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 12:36pm
Just like every black man is a criminal?
Keep drinking the Koolaid...
By MatthewC
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 12:41pm
"Racism! Racism everywhere! Racist white people! Racism!"
Shaq and Tubs Barkley didn't get the anti-cop meme
By O-FISH-L
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 12:54pm
Apparently Shaquille O'Neal and Tubs Barkley didn't get the professional athlete anti-cop meme. Keep reciting it though.
Many of this morning's protesters look like graduates of the Occupy Movement. Did Sen. Elizabeth Warren "create much of the intellectual foundation" for the I-93 protests too?
Also, the protesters last Saturday did not block the Patriots train. They merely stood on the tracks while train was making its scheduled stop at Route 128 station or whatever it's called now.
Educate yourself
By Kaz
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 2:25pm
I dare you to read this and think about what it says:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/eric-garne...
DUMB ASS
By SFPD12
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:28am
PUT A COUPLE OF TRAFFIC CONES OUT
AND LEAVE HIM ON HIS OWN
An 18 wheeler
By RichM
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:31am
Coming at him doing 65 mph should clear him outta there pretty fast.
Why don't they choose to block
By bulgingbuick
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:32am
Blue Hill Ave?
Blue Hill Ave
By Mollynotloggedin
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:40am
What would be the purpose of blocking Blue Hill Ave? It's not nearly as busy as 93.
because the people who live
By tape
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 9:24am
because the people who live near Blue Hill Ave. deal with what the protesters are protesting every day. they already know.
That is not protesting.
By bulgingbuick
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:31am
It's terrorism.
i hope you're joking
By zetag
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:41am
i hope you're joking
Tell that to
By bulgingbuick
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 9:37am
the patient in the Eascare Ambulance that was affected by these fools.
Pump the breaks...
By MatthewC
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:36am
Please do not disrespect those who have actually experienced real terrorism by making silly comments like that.
No problem
By zetag
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 12:02pm
Sorry the guy was held up, but he's in no way a victim of terrorism. Anyone who thinks other wise is just ignorant.
Not according to our FBI
By bulgingbuick
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 1:14pm
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/...
Domestic Terrorism also includes
By zetag
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 1:59pm
"Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;"
So anyone who is speeding on the highway is a terrorist. Good to know.
Then the Boston Tea Party was
By Robert Paulson
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:45am
Then the Boston Tea Party was terrorism too. "Terrorism" is used so much it's lost all meaning.
Annoyism
By John-W
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:55am
There was an annoyist attack on 93 this morning claiming thousands of victims who had to sit and fume for many, many minutes.
Clearly you are either with us or you stand with the Annoyists.
this comment is terrorism.
By tape
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 9:24am
this comment is terrorism.
AlertNewEngland reported that
By anon
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:31am
AlertNewEngland reported that an ambulance was stuck in the protesters' traffic. These ignorant protesters have no shame and are giving legitimate protesters a bad name.
So, what do you think -
By Rob
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:35am
So, what do you think - Criminal Trespass?
Do any of these protesters drive this road normally? Are they aware of how many ambulances go through here, shuttling patients in need of advanced care from hospitals on the South Shore, South Coast, Cape, and Islands?
Oh, well, at least they have Quincy Medical Center as an alternative destination when Boston is inaccessible.
Quincy Medical NOT an Option
By jillian
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:04am
Not really, anyway. The hospital itself has shut down. The ER is still open, but its kinda limping along.
I live in Quincy, in fact not far from Quincy Medical. Still I have gone to Carney or sometimes Milton Hospital for emergency care for years now (which are also relatively close, and seem to give better care).
In any case, the East Milton mess is currently impacting roads around Quincy Medical, Carney, and Milton.
http://dictionary.reference
By Rob
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:21am
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/facetious?s=t
See entry #1
So should the state always
By anon
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 10:17am
So should the state always keep one lane totally off limits to commuters in case an ambulance comes through? Because in my experience all the lanes can be not moving just due to rush hour traffic. Are those commuters, many of whom could have driven to a commuter rail station, being self obsessed, not caring enough about the ambulance people to just take the T with all those 99%ers, instead adding to the traffic which blocks ambulances?
Math
By anon
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 3:32pm
Right, so it's the 1% that drive to work on 93 each day. That's a big 1% based on traffic figures. But hey, anyone who has a job and a car must be rich. Those assumptions make you look silly and don't do a thing to help your cause.
Isn't the purpose of
By Bostonrose48
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:43am
Isn't the purpose of protesting to get people to talk about it and hear your side of the story. So people are talking about it but they aren't saying anything about their side of the story. So what is the point of protesting then?
The protestors aren't interested in hearing the other side.
By mplo
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 1:43pm
They're into their own agenda. Only THEIR opinions matter.
I love the "not helping their cause" argument
By Michael
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:45am
"Yes, I would totally listen to their arguments and acknowledge their points but I was inconvenienced, so now I wish them dead."
I'm sold.
People don't want to listen
By gotdatwmd
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:48am
People don't want to listen to people who are disrespectful and antagonize them first, who'da thunk.
Guess what
By bosguy22
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:58am
Most people already agree with them racism is bad. Get of the damn expressway and figure out some ways to combat it.
Ha
By Felicity
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 3:44pm
So then you understand exactly how young black guys feel when they get harassed by cops. Excellent.
Bill Hicks - Pick up the Gun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6kMWA2WRk
Guess they dont consider that
By kvn
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:52am
Guess they dont consider that the people that may be going into Boston for medical treatments ,like chemo ect.
Who cares?
By Felicity
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 3:53pm
This is a silly simple minded argument. Using scary buzz words like "chemo."
I had 3 years of chemo and numerous surgeries and numerous other medical treatments. Hospitals will wait, reschedule, accommodate if you're late or have to cancel.
I can empathize with an ambulance that's been blocked, but a chemo infusion isn't urgent.
It may be inconvenient, but so is having your son, brother, father murdered by shitforbrains cops.
Who the hell cares what YOU think, Felicity??
By mplo
Fri, 01/16/2015 - 3:28am
You're dead wrong on this one, babe! Chemotherapy is a necessary treatment for a life-threatening illness, and one missed or delayed treatment could spell the difference between life and death and/or a full recovery. You're just lucky because you probably didn't have these super-mammoth protest-related delays caused by a bunch of spoiled middle and upperclass college kids who insisted on dramatizing their points and their cause by shutting down interstate highways and blocking traffic, generally.
At least their timing could have been worse
By Michael
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 8:56am
You're sitting there burning $2.19 gas instead of $3.59 gas
go chain yourself to a college classroom door
By Hyde Parkish
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 9:17am
the people on 93 most likely are heading to work...the issue is education as to why minorities are more likely to be unemployed....so the protesters should protest at colleges not on highways!
At least they are still active
By anon
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 9:03am
Whether this was a constructive stunt or not (and if this is all they are doing they should be directing time and money elsewhere) the cause is still important. Many aspects of policing and the justice system need serious reform. Race is a big aspect of it but by no means the only aspect. Hopefully they will integrate Black Lives Matter into further calls for widespread reform.
A few looks at this blog from the Washington Post should give people some ideas if they think things are fine as they are.
So
By anon
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 9:39am
"Many aspects of policing and the justice system need serious reform. Race is a big aspect of it but by no means the only aspect."
Why are people only talking about one side of a two sided issue? Why isn't any of the blame being placed on the community?
Other minority groups seem to be do rather well, why is that?
"Why are people only talking
By tape
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:28am
"Why are people only talking about one side of a two sided issue? Why isn't any of the blame being placed on the community?"
because it actually is a pretty one-sided issue, if you don't buy into false equivalencies.
Yes
By Waquiot
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 11:54am
Michael Brown, who had just shoplifted from a store and assaulted the clerk at said store, attacked a police officer while the officer was sitting in his car. The police officer shot Michael Brown as he feared that Mr. Brown would attack him again.
Pretty one sided.
Or, we could be having that overarching discussion on how white society at large views black men and the underlying reasons for it.
Alternatively
By Bob Leponge
Thu, 01/15/2015 - 4:56pm
Alternatively:
Something happened in Ferguson, between Michael Brown and a police officer. We don't know the full details and never will. Looks like the shooting was justified, according to what we've seen.
A bunch of people didn't think so, and chose to protest.
The police responded to the initially peaceful protests by dressing up like soldiers and acting like an occupying army, escalating the situation into a full-on riot, arresting and threatening journalists, trying to keep the press away, etc.
In other words, the big deal here is not the shooting of Michael Brown, it's how the police acted in the aftermath.
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