Environmental group Extinction Rebellion said it had planned to block four major thoroughfares to protest fossil fuels. “Locations were selected to block Boston’s Central Artery to prevent employees from entering the financial district and harbor,” the group said in a statement Wednesday. They claimed more than 40 activists would take part, “locked in large pink metal barrels adorned with banners on top spelling out their messages of demands to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure”. Massachusetts State Police told WBZ they had a “detailed operational plan” and were “prepared to take enforcement action if necessary.” According to WBZ-TV’s Breana Pitts, drivers said troopers were stationed at nearly every exit on Route 128 from Rockport to Reading and Interstate 93 in Somerville. Troopers later arrested five people for trespassing on the Leverett Circle off-ramp to Route 93 in Boston around 7 a.m. They also impounded two vehicles that were parked in traffic lanes to block traffic. One was a truck with three pink 55-gallon drums in the back that police said the protesters were going to use as a roadblock. Police remove a truck as climate activists from the group Extinction Rebellion block traffic in Boston on September 21, 2022. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images Another group sat on Summer Street while Boston police stood around, allowing one lane of traffic to pass, until 8 a.m. when the protesters left. Protesters are now clearing Summer Street. The team rep told me they had to clear the road by 8am or they would all be arrested @wbz pic.twitter.com/I8QkvVkpFi — Anna Meiler (@AnnaMeiler) September 21, 2022 The team’s spokesman told WBZ-TV’s Anna Meiler that they had to clear the road by 8 a.m. or they would all be arrested. A larger group also came to Post Office Square in Boston and then marched to the Harbor as part of the demonstration, with state troopers trailing them. Around 8:30 am protesters stopped and blocked one side of the bridge leading to the Port from the Financial District. Some sat on the street while others stood holding signs. An organizer told WBZ-TV’s Nick Giovanni they were going to try to stay there for an hour, but they moved on after 45 minutes. Protesters are now blocking one side of the Seaport Blvd bridge (the side leading to the harbor from the financial district). Some sit in the street, others stand holding signs @wbz pic.twitter.com/o1oVQEdbAP — Nick Giovanni (@NickGNews) September 21, 2022 “We have trained police liaisons whose responsibility it is to communicate with the officers for us. They’re just making sure nobody here is doing anything that’s an arrestable offence,” organizer Teddy Ohea told reporters. “We assured people coming to this protest that this would not be something you could be arrested for. We make sure the police liaisons are communicating with the officers here so everyone is safe, no one is breaking any laws and just making sure we’re all on the same page.” Boston police later announced that they had arrested ten protesters. All were charged with disorderly conduct. State police said the five protesters they arrested were 55-year-old Joseph Rogers of Lyndeborough, NH, 64-year-old Grant Rockett of Jamaica Plain, 54-year-old Mark Dugan of Newton, 48-year-old Jennifer Smith of Watertown and 67-year-old Mary Hansen from Jamaica Plain. “Our point is not to make life difficult for the police. Our point is to bring attention to the climate change crisis in a way that is effective for people who would otherwise have no way to connect with it,” the protester said Jamie McGongill. “We’re seeing very little action at the state level and our house is burning. So we’re the fire alarm,” protester Leslie Dikola told reporters. “I hear the urgency felt by so many activists, and we are working as hard as we can every day to make sure the city of Boston moves quickly,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. CBSBoston.com Staff The CBS Boston team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSBoston.com.
