Nearly 50 protesters were arrested Thursday morning after Boston Police say they refused to move out of a major Boston thoroughfare, causing traffic gridlock.
Hundreds gathered at Dewey Square in downtown Boston for a protest calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and peace for Palestinians in an event planned by the group IfNotNow Boston.
Boston Police were there to monitor the event and arrived at around 8 a.m., according to a police report obtained by the Herald. Upon arrival, police say, they spoke with some of the organizers and said the group was welcome to protest in the square and on the sidewalk, but police said they must “refrain from blocking any intersections,” especially as the hour was the peak of the morning rush hour.
The organizers reportedly told police they would share the message but were not responsible for what individuals chose to do.
At around 8:18 a.m., a large contingent of the group, which police in their report estimated at around 200, began walking into the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street. It’s a major intersection downtown that carries not only workaday traffic but also MBTA buses and is a route used by ambulances to both Tufts Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital.
A Boston Police captain at the scene minutes later declared an unlawful assembly and announced that if people did not disperse from the roadway they would be arrested, according to the report.
A protestor with a megaphone responded: “Quick announcement. I want everyone to know that the Boston Police has given us a warning. Five minutes before they make arrests. I want everyone to know that so you can make a decision about what feels right to you. If you don’t want to risk getting arrested please move to the sidewalk in the next five minutes. Otherwise we are going to continue standing here until there is a ceasefire and until Palestine is free.”
While police note that many protesters did comply and move from the intersection, dozens did not, leading to the arrest of 47 of them.
In a video shared by IfNotNow Boston, a man in handcuffs continues his protest by saying in a sing-song voice, “Ceasefire. Our children are dying, it can’t get more dire. Ceasefire.”
The group tweeted following the arrests that “Boston Police have arrested over 50 protestors for putting their bodies on the line to cry out for peace. But we will not be silenced! The protest continues.”
Those arrested were charged with unlawful assembly and disturbing the peace.
According to the police report, the following people were arrested, with the Herald alphabetizing the list and adding ages:
Samantha Abinder, 27, of Cambridge;
Sharafi Bahar, 45, of Dorchester;
Sarah Binney, 26, of Cambridge;
Joshua Blaine, 40, of Providence, R.I.;
Tessa Davidson Brown, 23, of Boston;
Nancy Chamberlin, 63, of Brookline;
Miriam Cohen, 25, of Cambridge;
Linda Cohen, 62, of Revere;
Lauren Colodny, 24, of Somerville;
Allison Comet, 36, of Jamaica Plain;
Sophia Crogan, 28, of Somerville;
Shayna Curran, 35, of Watertown;
Evan Drukker-Schardl, 25, of Somerville;
Mayanka Dutta, 27, of Jamaica Plain;
Elana Eisenmarkowitz, 39, of Malden;
Marigo Farr, 36, of Boston;
Leah Folpem 24, of Allston;
Nancy Gold, 71, of Cambridge;
Lily Grob, 23, of Cambridge;
Talya Guenzburger, 26, of Somerville;
Rebecca Heisler, 30, of Cambridge;
Jacob Hershman, 25, of Cambridge;
Anisa Kaatana, 21, of Somerville;
David Kaplinsky, 33, of Cambridge;
Patrick Keaney, 54, of Boston;
Dalya Lessem, 18, of Waltham;
Hannah Limov, 33, of Jamaica Plain;
Lian Lucansky, 27, of Cambridge;
Katia Mathews, 25, of Cambridge;
Guadalupe Najar, 22, of Roxbury;
Madeline O’Reilly, 33, of Boston;
Gregory Reiser, 48, of Boston;
Sarah Revesz, 29, of Marlboro;
Ryan Roche, 37, of Dorchester;
Raviv Rose, 23, of Medford;
Leah Rosenbloom, 30, of Ardmore, Pa.;
Naomi Roswell, 27, of Somerville;
Jack Rubien, 25, of Boston;
Tatum Schutt, 22, of Somerville;
Alexander Siber, 29, of Wellesley;
Alec Southwell, 25, of Cambridge;
Emy Takinami, 29, of Brookline;
Ashley Tarbet, 36, of East Boston;
Mariele Ventrice, 34, of Jamaica Plain;
Sophia Vostrejs, 18, of Waltham;
Molly Zegans, 40, of Nantucket;
and a Lexington juvenile released to family.
