SWAMPSCOTT — Police will not charge protesters after a Sunday march blocked traffic and allegedly caused a minor car crash, according to a Swampscott Police Department spokesman.
Protesters calling for charges to be dropped against Black Lives Matter activist Ernst Jean-Jacques, also known as “Shimmy,” have been demonstrating in front of the police station weekly since December.
On Sunday, March 8, the group walked from the area on Monument Avenue where the arrest took place to the police station, and on March 14 went from the same location to the Fish House, back again to Gov. Charlie Baker’s home, then came back to the police station and blocked traffic in a crosswalk on Humphrey Street.
Police received eight or nine complaints related to the demonstration, ranging from traffic issues to noise complaints, according to police logs.
In addition, one woman driving past the protest allegedly became distracted and rear-ended the car in front of her.
Police Sgt. Jay Locke said that while the protesters had posted online about their plans beforehand, they did not have permits to block traffic. Officers stood by on the scene to ensure that everyone involved was safe.
Locke said that there were no plans to charge any of the protesters at this time, as the demonstration did not rise to a level at which that would be necessary.
“We’re trying to just protect the integrity of allowing them to protest,” he said. “When the time comes that we need to step in with the law, sure, but for now we’re just letting them have their civil right.”
Jean-Jacques was arrested and charged with assault at a Dec. 12 pro-Trump demonstration, where he was taking part in a counter-protest. In a video from the incident, Linda Greenberg, 80, threw water from a plastic bottle at Jean-Jacques, and he moved his hand toward her. Greenberg and other pro-Trump demonstrators allege that Jean-Jacques punched her, but he maintains that he simply attempted to take the bottle away from her.