Isai RochaWith threats of a trucker protest planned to disrupt traffic at Super Bowl LVI, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said they would be “towed immediately.”
Flyers have been shared across multiple social media platforms, gaining support from political figures such as Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers and former gubernatorial candidate Major Williams. The threats of a trucker convoy protest now have the city of Inglewood and security forces are on high alert, whether they are successful or not.
“They wouldn’t be able to do it because the trucks would be towed away immediately,” Mayor Butts told L.A. Weekly. “Let me be very clear… their vehicles would be towed immediately and it would cost them a lot of money.”
A “Shut down the Super Bowl flyer that has circulated on social media platforms. (Via Telegram)
The gathering spots for these planned protest have primarily come from a Telegram app channel named “Truckers For Freedom,” which has more than 80,000 subscribers and several discussions about trucker convoys, similar to the one that occurred in Ontario, Canada.
The “Freedom Convoy” protest consisted of more than 1,000 semi-trucks blocking areas of Canadian roads, most notably the Ambassador Bridge that connects Ontario, Canada to Detroit, Michigan.
The discussions in the Telegram chat room have consisted of polls, showing support for a blockade to “shut down the Super Bowl,” as well as on-the-ground protests.
(Via Telegram)
The protest motives seem to vary, with some flyers advocating for “medical freedom” in regards to COVID-19 vaccination mandates, and others looking to raise awareness toward human trafficking.
The protest are on the radar for the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, saying they are “assesessing” the threats and have no indication that the protests are intended to be violent, according to NPR.
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