Since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, New York City has seen a steady stream of pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas rallies, coupled with complete stoppages of traffic in parts of Manhattan. Bridges, tunnels and other transportation hubs seem to be the target of choice, preferably during rush hour.
On Monday, demonstrators set their sights on the Brooklyn Bridge, Holland Tunnel and Midtown Tunnel.
“On Monday, February 12, 2024, at approximately 0800 hours, an unscheduled demonstration of pro-Palestinian demonstrators were blocking vehicular traffic with an unknown amount of vehicles at the Brooklyn Bridge, the Holland Tunnel and the Midtown Tunnel,” a spokesperson from the New York City Police Department told JNS. “Multiple people were taken into custody regarding this incident.”
Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of operations, shared video of the protest and posted on X, “What could be worse than normal Monday morning traffic? Groups of people intentionally trying to shut down the bridges and tunnels of New York, making your commute longer, blocking emergency vehicles and grinding the city to a halt.”
The NYPD told JNS that 15 people were arrested. Five others were charged with obstruction of governmental administration: Izzy Gibson, 29; Kasey Sanchez, 30; Bridget Squitire, 25; Connor McGarry, 26; and Blue Blair, 35.
In addition, Allyson Fairbanks, 59; Heather Fedewa, 36; Chloe Piazza, 31; Olin Macintosh, 22; Alexander Gudding, 31; Priyanka Ganesan, 28; Liam Sharif Montague, 21; Amelia Fuller, 23; Emily Peake, 33; and Kaleen Guadalupe, 22, were charged with obstruction of governmental administration, disorderly conduct for obstructing traffic and failure to obey a police officer.
