Possible Traffic Blocking Protest on Friday?

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I spotted this tweet this morning:

https://twitter.com/emmaa_kahn/status/540370987297300481

Emma Kahn
‏@emmaa_kahn

TUFTS we are shutting down Davis Square THIS FRIDAY at 5pm. Organize // unite // be angry // speak out // die-in // protect


She seems legit and very invested in taking action, primarily in response to the ruling in Missouri. Might end up being nothing, but best to be prepared.

There was a meeting at Tufts last night to discuss mobilization, so these might be related:

https://www.facebook.com/events/294927847363824/

Comments

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I spotted a Facebook event post referencing the action on Friday:

https://www.facebook.com/events/307304179458500/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

As a response to the recent non-indictment of the officers responsible for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, we are organizing a MARCH OF STUDENTS TO DAVIS SQUARE As part of a larger national movement and expression of anger, pain, frustration, mourning, and healing, protesters will gather and disrupt 'business as usual'. We intend to disrupt the continuing of daily lives as the continuity of Black lives are disrupted every 28 hours.

WE WILL MEET AT LOWER CAMPUS CENTER PATIO AT TUFTS AT 4:30PM ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH AND MARCH TO DAVIS SQUARE.

Every 28 hours a Black life is taken by law enforcement or state-backed vigilantes. This is about honoring the memory of a Black life lost and disrupting the normalization of police brutality. Justice, as many of us know too well, is an unattainable myth for Black people killed with no regard for their dreams, their families, or their humanity. It is our hope that anti-Blackness be made visible in the eyes of those who refuse to see and that the cries of Black lives shot in the streets by those sworn to serve and protect will heard by the ears who refuse to hear.

Protest in Davis Sq Friday at 5:00

[chameleon-mama.livejournal.com]

I was invited to this:
#IndictAmerica Davis Square March - a Facebook event
It looks like the same event, and I'm just trying to spread the word beyond the Tufts community.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

RSVPs up to 640 with another 60 maybes.

[ron_newman]

This post on yesterday's event says that today's event is "a march to SHUT DOWN Davis Square on the Red line in Somerville". I interpreted the confusing wording to mean that they intend to shut down the Red Line station. When I said that I didn't consider this to be a good idea, I got a lot of disagreement from other commenters.

[keithn.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think you misinterpreted that. But that Facebook thread... wow. It's just not worth expressing your reasonable opinions on this topic online.

Some protesters did block the green line yesterday, but the green line doesn't have a third rail and the trains go slow enough to stop for people on the tracks. Trying to block the red line by standing on the tracks would go very badly for the protesters.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Some of the pics I saw from last night included clogging up the platform and entrance to Park Street. Depending on their plans, they could certainly end up blocking passengers from using the station. I guess we will see.

[anyee.livejournal.com]

Then good riddance.

People keeping the useful members of society from getting to work or home need to be hit as fast as possible.

[ron_newman]

Then your issue is with the MBTA police, because they're the ones who closed the T station, not the protesters.

[keithn.livejournal.com]

This is going to be a serious test of the mayor and Somerville police department. While I'm sure the mayor is sympathetic to the cause, he can't really allow his largest business district to be "shut down" on a Friday evening. But at the same time he has to ensure that the protesters right to lawfully protest is protected. I don't envy him.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Here's to hoping the city has been paying attention to these reports. I'm surprised I haven't gotten a robo-call yet.

[dfan.livejournal.com]

The Somerville Journal just tweeted that trains will bypass the Davis station (https://twitter.com/VilleJournal/status/540986362946916352) during the protest.

[dfan.livejournal.com]

Trains are stopping at Davis again now, in case anyone was avoiding taking the T.

[ron_newman]

And this was caused by the MBTA police, not the protesters. At no time did the protest march enter any T station (at least not between when I joined it in Davis at 5 pm and when I left it in Central Square at 6:45)

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

https://twitter.com/stacos/status/540991899545640960

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Looks like they are heading to Harvard:

Davis Square protest passing Porter, heading towards Harvard. Followed by 20 cops on foot +1 patrol car. #shutitdownboston

[ron_newman]

The route from Davis was Elm Street to the Porter Square shopping center, through the parking lot to Porter Square, down Mass Ave to Harvard Square, down Mt Auburn St to Putnam Square, down Mass Ave to Central Square. I left it at that point, but it continued on Mass Ave. towards MIT (and maybe beyond)

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

I know it continued on over the Mass Ave bridge -- I had to rescue my roommate at MIT who couldn't get home because of buses being shut down, etc.