PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Six adults and a juvenile used a rented box truck, two cars and several traffic cones to briefly block a Rhode Island highway, state police said Tuesday.
The adults were charged with disorderly conduct and conspiracy after all four lanes of Interstate 95 northbound in Providence were blocked at about 9:30 p.m. Monday.
The road was closed for approximately seven minutes and traffic backed up for about a half mile.
They were demanding that Columbus Day be changed to Indigenous People’s Day, local activist Amanda Toussaint told The Providence Journal.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation, but luckily no one was hurt by the reckless conduct of these individuals,” state police commander Col. James Manni said in a statement. “While we respect the right to peacefully protest, we have zero tolerance for those who endanger the lives of others by purposefully blocking traffic and will arrest and charge anyone who does so.”
By the time troopers arrived at the scene, the vehicles had left and traffic was moving again. The box truck was stopped nearby with the suspects from Rhode Island and Massachusetts inside. The 15-year-old juvenile was referred to juvenile court.
The adults are scheduled for arraignment Tuesday.
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