Protesters Shut Down I-84 in Waterbury Over the Weekend

Waterbury streets were blocked, and I-84 was shut down for about an hour as protesters took to the streets.

Wtnh.com, along with a multitude of other news outlets, have been reporting about weekend protests across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody. In Waterbury, protesters took to the streets and blocked a portion of Route 8 near Exit 21 on Saturday.

On Sunday, Waterbury protesters moved their 'Black Lives Matter' protest onto Interstate 84, closing down the highway for about an hour. My daughter was driving in from Bristol to meet us in New Fairfield when traffic came to an abrupt halt on I-84 in Waterbury.

She told us there was nowhere she could go, so she pulled over in a safe place and joined the protesters until the highway was cleared and then went on her merry way. When she pulled into our driveway, her mom was thrilled to see her and thankful she was safe but then launched into a series of stories about her Vietnam War protesting days in the late 60s.

According to nbcconnecticut.com, 28 Waterbury protesters were arrested from the Sunday afternoon protest. From the Waterbury Police Department FB page, this a message from Police Chief, Fernando Spagnolo,

Thank you to our residents and visitors who participated in today's demonstration who were peaceful, cooperative, and did an amazing job expressing their concerns about police violence, systemic racism, and the tragic death of George Floyd.