After changing up the plan and overcoming a brief delay yesterday, ‘The People’s Convoy’ began their protest in the Nation’s Capital on Sunday.
The 70+ mile-long caravan departed from the speedway in Hagerstown, Maryland in the morning, arriving a short while later to the DC Beltway.
Take a look at the line of trucks before they headed out this morning – it’s absolutely astonishing!
The media can’t ignore the massive U.S. Trucker Convoy forming for long.
It’s time to take back America 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/W4J0mJMbHl
— Derek Utley (@realDerekUtley) March 6, 2022
#BREAKING Trucker Convoy to depart Hagerstown between 9 and 9:30 today heading to the Beltway. They say they will do 2 laps around, very slow. Expect major traffic delays in the DC area @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/108ECZpjjn
— Katie Kyros (@KatieKyros) March 6, 2022
Organizer Brian Brase explained that the convoy’s plan was to drive slowly around the 63-mile highway, that encircles the Capital, two times before heading back to the current staging area at the Hagerstown Speedway.
The group will continue this daily until their demands are met, Brase told the Washington Post.
From ZeroHedge:
“Sunday ‘is a show of just how big we are and just how serious we are,’ the convoy organizer said. He said the group wants an immediate end to the national emergency declaration in response to the virus pandemic more than two years ago.
‘We’re going to be a huge pain,’ Brase said. He noted that other convoys are en route and will join them.
‘We’re trying to work with our local law enforcement communities because we want them to understand that we are law-abiding citizens that are just exercising our rights to this protest,’ he said. But ‘every day is going to elevate what we do.’
‘We want to show the American people how large we are.’ Brase said. ‘And we want to show our congressional leaders that we’re serious and we are here to negotiate. We are here to talk. We are law-abiding. We are peaceful. We don’t want to shut anything down, and we’re not coming downtown.’
Major and minor delays were reported throughout the day on the DC Beltway as the brigade of vehicles carried out the first of many demonstrations.
Take a look:
March 06, 2022 – WASHINGTON DC: On Sunday afternoon hundreds of Big Rig Truckers and other vehicles arrived in Maryland and looped around DC area, causing traffic delays, demanding an end coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions.
Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 pic.twitter.com/69KStXzdS4
— Oliya Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) March 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/Angela12454195/status/1500543489884540928?t=xC_QZejIBiylrqNiKg4h_A&s=19
Truck-rearending-truck during Freedom Convoy on DC beltway in Maryland. pic.twitter.com/n5vafyZ1Py
— JOSH RUSSELL (@jruss_jruss) March 6, 2022
'People's Convoy' truck protest targets Washington, slows traffic https://t.co/lHdaV9AdP3 pic.twitter.com/bb4Dep6miV
— Reuters Politics (@ReutersPolitics) March 7, 2022
Once again, the truckers were greeted by large groups who made camp on highway overpasses to cheer them on as they protested.
Americans have the truckers’ backs. Groups like this have been a common sight on the convoy’s cross-country journey, showing up everywhere they go.
People gather at one of many overpasses as the People’s Convoy makes its 2nd loop on the DC Beltway.#PeoplesConvoyUSA #freedomconvoy22 #HonkHonk #peacefulprotest #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/rmGUw4eFzR
— Juan Mendoza Díaz (@JuanMoreNews) March 6, 2022
Also making an appearance on the route were hundreds of law enforcement officers, who could be seen littered throughout the Beltway in anticipation of the trucker’s arrival.
Thankfully, there have been no reports of them engaging with any of the protest participants as of yet.
MPD waiting for convoy pic.twitter.com/xLSiXAMEz9
— LaShonda Iglesias (@shonda_iglesias) March 6, 2022
The heavy police presence was one of the main contributors in deciding to postpone yesterday’s demonstration until today. Some of the convoy’s organizers had traveled into DC hours before the group’s scheduled arrival on Saturday and saw scores of law enforcement officers in position, waiting for them to arrive.
Out of an abundance of caution, and some other factors, the organizers decided to hold off until today.
Despite the one-day delay, the first day of protests went off without a hitch and the convoy made its way back to the Hagerstown Speedway for the night. The group will hold another rally tonight in anticipation of tomorrow’s demonstration.
Tomorrow’s Monday, after all. So traffic on the Beltway will be substantially worse – plus Biden will be back from his weekend bunker hideaway in his Delaware basement.
In other words, it’s a big day.
In order to make things easier going forward and cut down on the back and forth travel, organizers have said that they are currently working on a staging area that’s much closer to the DC Beltway – possibly within just a couple of miles.
Once that happens, the convoy should be able to take a stand rivaling the one in Ottawa a few weeks back. Either way, they have made clear that they aren’t going anywhere until changes are made and the Constitution is restored.
God bless these brave men and women.
