Protestors with arms chained together inside barrel on Rte 83 Milton pic.twitter.com/ORaUqQ7les
— Tim Alben (@TimAlben) January 15, 2015
UPDATE: We’ve added new information from State Police.
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It’s no surprise that JP was there for one of the most-talked-about demonstrations in recent Boston history. At least five of the 29 activists arrested in connection with the blockage of I-93 on Thursday are from the neighborhood.
Protesters chained themselves together with concrete-filled tubes or to concrete-filled barrels. Activists said in a statement that the action was to encourage white people to stand with people of color to protest systemic racism.
“As non-Black people acting in solidarity, it is necessary to disrupt a capitalist structure that has been built on the physical and economic exploitation of Black bodies since our country’s inception,” read the statement in part.
Protesters blocked traffic at two points: Milton and Medford. In Milton, authorities say the blockage kept an ambulance from reaching a top-level trauma center.
Judging by addresses given by State Police, at least five Jamaica Plain people were arrested. Two others had addresses near JP in Mission Hill and Roxbury. A Boston Police source said a total of seven JP people were among those arrested. Below are listed only persons whose addresses are clearly in Jamaica Plain.
Mark F. Schwaller, 29, of Bynner Street and Noah McKenna, 28, of 12 Parley Vale pleaded not guilty to trespassing, throwing glass on a public way, willfully obstructing an emergency vehicle, conspiracy, disorderly conduct and throwing an object on a public way. McKenna was additionally charged with resisting arrest.
Thu Minh Nguyen, 23, Weld Hill Street; Benjamin S. Woods, 31, Parkton Road and Kendra Jae, 25, Dalrymple Street were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing on state/county property and resisting arrest. Woods was additionally charged with conspiracy.
