Second truckers protest convoy to arrive in Greater Columbus Sunday
On the heels of the People’s Convoy — whose hundreds of participants were met in central Ohio Thursday with raucous cheers, banners and flag-waving from hundreds of people lining overpasses — a second large convoy of truckers is expected to pass through Columbus on Sunday afternoon.
The American Freedom Convoy, begun a week ago in Portland, Oregon, will pass directly through Columbus along Interstate 70 beginning at about 1:45 p.m., organizers said on Friday. There are plans to stop briefly in Hebron in Licking County.
Times could change as traffic, weather and unexpected delays occur, organizers say.
Latest truck convoy expected to stop briefly in Hebron in Licking County
Like feeder streams into a big river, several less organized groups have been joining the latest convoy, according to Nicole Robinson, a New Castle, Indiana-based organizer for the convoy, which opposes COVID-19 mandates.
One of the groups held a rally in Nashville on Thursday with more than 2,000 people attending.
People’s Convoy:Group growing and approaching Columbus in early afternoon
People’s Convoy:The People’s Convoy truck protest welcomed into Guernsey County
Robinson will be a passenger in the lead truck cab, whose bumper will proclaim “We the People” with a bald eagle. The truck is equipped with an actual train whistle that will announce the procession of vehicles for spectators along the route, she said.
In Hebron, she said, “We’re suggesting that everyone get off the freeway to regroup, re-fuel and have something to eat.” There are three truck stops in the area.
As COVID-19 restrictions ease, trucker protest purpose expands to government overreach
Both the American Freedom Convoy and the People’s Convoy were inspired by Canadian protests where trucks converged at busy intersections and disrupted trade and traffic in Ottawa, that nation’s capital city, and Windsor, Ontario, across the International Bridge from Detroit.
But as more mask mandates are being lifted and coronavirus cases diminish, the rallying cries have been broadly leveled against government overreach, so-called career politicians and supporting smaller government and lower taxes.
Hundreds squeezed onto overpasses and side roads Thursday as the People’s Convoy entered Madison County, passing south along the Interstate 270 outer belt before leaving east toward Cambridge, where participants stayed overnight just east of the Guernsey County city.
Robinson said that the convoy will stop Sunday night at Dominion Raceway and Entertainment in Thornburg, Virginia., about an hour south of Washington, D.C.
She said there will be one additional stop and rally after that, but she would not say where, calling it a surprise. She added that there will be no tolerance for misconduct or breaking laws.
“I do feel some sense of responsibility as an organizer and would never want to lead them into any kind of trouble,” Robinson said.
So far, there have been no significant problems or organized opposition in Greater Columbus or elsewhere, she said.
@DeanNarciso
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