Ten people have been arrested after a group of protesters appeared to chain themselves to the eastbound lane of the George Washington Bridge during Wednesday’s morning rush-hour commute. The demonstration blocked traffic on the upper level and ignited delays of over an hour for those trying to get into and out of New York.
Gothamist reports that ten protesters reportedly strung themselves across the GW Bridge lane shortly after 8:15 a.m., completely halting traffic. Port Authority police arrived about 15 minutes later, around 8:30 a.m., to clear them from the bridge. Some drivers, stuck on the bridge, reportedly got out of their cars, and also tried to remove the demonstrators. Traffic picked up again once cops pulled the protesters off the GW — but the delay caused a serious jam on the busy route.
The Laundry Workers Center reportedly organized the protest; they were reportedly fighting for the rights of immigrants and marginalized workers. The protesters branded themselves with the hashtag #WeAre Visible/#SomosVisible and had scheduled a rally in Union Square for later Wednesday.
