Vehicles protesting Covid-19 mandates and restrictions in hope of them ending made their way through Washington D.C. the first weekend in March. While mandates are being lifted, some feel the restrictions should be completely abandoned. Protests have taken place all over the country, but the most captivating was a group of truck drivers voicing their opinions to lawmakers.
The vehicles were of all sizes, the largest being eighteen-wheeler trucks. The group planned to drive a minimum of two loops around the beltway before their return to Maryland. These protests have been taking place nationwide, but those in Maryland have the District of Columbia emergency management officials worried that this is just the beginning of several disruptions.
The protests began with 1,000 vehicles but were expected to increase to over 2000 within a few days. Christopher Rodriguez, the head of the District of Columbia's Homeland and Emergency Management Agency, has remained in close contact with partner agencies to track these events and keep people safe in hopes of limited violence. There were low-level violence attacks associated with the protests, however, there is no telling what will happen in the future. However, the organizers of the American convoys have shared that they intend to keep their demonstrations controlled.
These nationwide protests usually consist of truck drivers being led by police escorts. People tend to honk at onlookers who cheer at them as they drive by. The prominence of such protests in the U.S. was likely due to the Canadian trucker protests that started in late January and continued for weeks as Covid-19 mandates began to be lifted in different areas.
While the convoy organizers in America said that they have no plans to mimic what happened in Canada, they do want their voices to be heard. The group plans to continue these protests until their demands are addressed and eventually met.