'People's Convoy' truck protest targets Washington, slows traffic
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[March 07, 2022] By
Julio-Cesar Chavez
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Hundreds of trucks,
recreational vehicles and cars circled the outskirts of Washington on
Sunday, aiming to slow traffic around the capital as part of a protest
against pandemic restrictions.
The so-called "People's Convoy," which originated in California and has
drawn participants from around the country, is calling for an end to all
pandemic-related restrictions. It was inspired by demonstrations last
month that paralyzed Ottawa, Canada's capital city.
Leaders of the convoy said that on Monday they will again slowly drive
the Beltway, a 64-mile highway that encircles the city, though details
of when the action would take place were not known.
Hundreds of vehicles gathered on Friday and Saturday at the Hagerstown
Speedway, a racetrack in Maryland about 80 miles (129 km) northwest of
downtown Washington.
On Sunday morning, many left in convoy to drive two slow laps on the
Beltway. They honked their horns as they set off, while onlookers waved
American flags, according to a Reuters witness.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Mar/07/images/ads/current/LPL_small%201.gif)
The convoy, more than 2 miles long, slowed traffic at points along the
Beltway by late Sunday morning, but did not bring it to a standstill. It
returned to the Hagerstown Speedway in the afternoon, according to
messages on the convoy's Telegram channel.
The convoy's protest against vaccine requirements and other pandemic
restrictions has been undercut in recent weeks as major U.S. cities have
rolled back mask mandates and other measures against COVID-19 with
infections and hospitalizations declining dramatically.
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Hundreds of trucks, recreational vehicles and cars were circling the
outskirts of Washington on Sunday (March 6), threatening to cause
traffic backups around the capital as part of a protest against
pandemic restrictions.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/02/images/ads/current/guzzardo_lda022609.png) President Joe Biden, a Democrat,
signaled in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday that the
country was entering a new, phase of the pandemic without business
lockdowns, school closures or other daily disruptions.
At the racetrack on Friday night, one participant who described
himself as the lead trucker told a cheering crowd he would drive his
truck into the heart of the American capital.
"D.C., the government, whomever, can claim that they have all this
opposition for us waiting in D.C.," the man said. "But that flag on
the back of my truck will go down to Constitution Avenue between the
White House and the Washington Monument."
U.S. federal law enforcement agencies have been coordinating with
state and local authorities for weeks in preparation for the
possible arrival of the convoy, according to one U.S. official who
requested anonymity to discuss internal operations.
A Feb. 26 U.S. Department of Homeland Security bulletin to law
enforcement reviewed by Reuters said trucker convoys could hinder
emergency responders depending on the size of the protest.
(Reporting by Julio-Cesar Chavez, Gabriella Borter and Ted Hesson;
Additional reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by
Daniel Wallis and Bill Berkrot)
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