ICE Protesters Block Streets In Boston; 12 Arrested At Amazon
BOSTON (CBS) - A demonstration by immigration advocates blocked streets and caused gridlock during the evening commute in Boston. Police made 12 arrests when the march ended in Cambridge.
Commuters in downtown Boston didn't have to attend Thursday evening's protest of ICE detention facilities --- the protest came to them. Hundreds of singing, chanting protesters marched through the streets, beginning at the New England Holocaust Memorial, across the Longfellow Bridge, ending at the Amazon office in Cambridge.
The route was a surprise to drivers, and to the police trying to keep everyone safe along the way.
The event certainly grabbed attention.
"I mean it inconveniences people so it gets the message out," one driver said.
"Sometimes you have to make a statement," added another driver.
But some wondered whether it punished regular people more than certain Boston companies.
"It's rush hour, there's only one way (on the bridge). Take some other way around," a man said.
"I'm trying to pick up my wife from the hospital," said another driver as the crowd slowly passed.
It's that proximity to MGH that worried some bystanders. Boston Police who walked the route worked to quickly clear the crowd when emergency vehicles needed to pass.
Protesters refused to divulge their route to police, even as they tried to keep the crowd on foot and confused drivers safe.
At the end of the march, Never Again sat and sang inside the Amazon office in Cambridge. According to the organization they're protesting private companies doing business with ICE. Cambridge Police said despite several requests to peacefully escort protesters out of the building, 12 people were arrested on trespassing charges.