Protesters chained to barrels and chanting “black lives matter” shut down a major Boston-area highway early on Thursday morning, prompting police to arrest 17 people.
Thousands of commuters on Interstate 93 crawled to a stop at two locations where small bands of demonstrators stood, one with a banner that read “United Against Racism”. Several had linked arms inside metal barrels filled with concrete, handcuffing themselves to objects police said weighed 1,200lbs.
Colonel superintendent Tim Alben of the Massachusetts state police said 17 people were arrested near Mystic Avenue, north of Boston, and that six people would be detained south of the city, near Milton. He warned that police would continue to make arrests anywhere people blocked traffic.
Protest coordinator Megan Collins told the Guardian that between seven and 12 people had been arrested at the second location.
Protestors with arms chained together inside barrel on Rte 83 Milton pic.twitter.com/ORaUqQ7les
— Tim Alben (@TimAlben) January 15, 2015
Police eventually cleared enough space for traffic to resume, after major delays in the heavily populated area.
Collins said the protests were meant to “confront the systems of white supremacy that perpetuate oppression on black bodies”, saying the highway closure would shake people out of their comfort zones.
She said that two parties, unaffiliated with but supported by the activist group Black Lives Matter Boston, wanted to confront “the predominately white commuters who come into Boston, a city that is deeply segregated”.
“People of color live in a reality of police brutality and police surveillance,” Collins said. “All the protesters that took part were white and non-black people of color, putting our bodies on the line because we can’t be complacent in this.”
Black Lives Matter Boston announced the protest on Facebook, saying it aimed to “disrupt business as usual” and bring attention to “police and state violence against black people”. The post listed names of men and women killed by law enforcement officers.
Removal of protestors still ongoing. Please be patient. pic.twitter.com/ggCnwstuRe
— Quincy Police (@quincymapolice) January 15, 2015
The arrested protesters had not yet been arraigned, Collins and police said. Massachusetts and Boston-area police used their very active social media presence to keep commuters informed of developments, and to plead that future protesters use lawful venues to demonstrate.
State trooper Dustin Finch asked: “What does this prove?”
Police cleared all lanes of obstruction about two hours after protesters first arrived.
