Rep. Canario Seeks Law Setting $1000 Fine for Blocking Highway

Rep. Canario Seeks Law Setting $1000 Fine for Blocking Highway

In response to last year’s incident where protestors shut down I-95 in Providence and in a similar event outside Boston, Representative Dennis Canario (D-Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton) has introduced legislation making obstruction of a freeway a misdemeanor.

“I believe absolutely in the right to assemble, the right to protest,” said Rep. Dennis M. Canario, “but I believe protestors cross the line when their actions threaten the safety of others.”

The bill would make it a punishable crime for anyone to “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly, alone or with others, restrict traffic flow of a freeway.” Punishment for such a misdemeanor would be a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.

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“I do not want this legislation to be misconstrued as preventing lawful picketing or lawful demonstrations,” said Representative Canario. “But gathering on a highway, shutting down the flow of traffic, possibly preventing rescue vehicles from reaching their destination – whether that’s a hospital or the home of a person in distress – is an entirely different matter. That kind of protest is potentially threatening the welfare of others and should not be allowed.”