POUGHKEEPSIE – A group of approximately 15 protesters gathered Wednesday afternoon in Poughkeepsie holding signs denouncing racism and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Four people refused requests by police to obey traffic laws and were arrested.
The group had assembled at the intersection of Columbus Drive and Church Street for an exercise in civil disobedience. Several motorists came over the Mid-Hudson Bridge heading into Poughkeepsie around 5 p.m. and were prevented from continuing because of the group. Two of the participants were sitting on the roadway and others were standing, obstructing traffic.
Several city police units arrived and were seen negotiating with the group in an attempt to remove them from the roadway. The individuals that refused to comply were arrested. The remaining group agreed to stay on the sidewalk, allowing traffic to flow unimpeded.
A short time later, the group, marching on the sidewalk went north towards the police department headquarters, continuing their peaceful protest.
The four who were arrested were all men, all charged with disorderly conduct for blocking traffic. Two are residents of the city, one is from the Town of Poughkeepsie, and the fourth is a resident of Millbrook. One subject is 25 years old and the others are all 23-years-old.
The identities of the men were not released. All four were processed at police headquarters, issued appearance tickets and released.
