Law enforcement agencies are on alert after a group of truck drivers planned a “Patriot Protest” against vaccine mandates on Monday.
For weeks, some truck drivers have taken to social media to plan highway shutdowns and slow rolls to protest employment-related vaccine mandates announced September 9 by the Biden Administration. Many of the protests were organized using the hashtag #patriotshutdown.
Law enforcement agencies in Ohio in particular appear to be taking possible protest activities seriously and have promised increased monitoring and patrols on September 27.
Ohio’s Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters issued a press release over the weekend warning truckers that they face jail and felony charges if they attempt to block the roadways.
From the press release:
Regarding the “Patriot Shutdown” protests planned for September 27, 2021, Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters commented:
“My office has learned there are plans to shut down the highways, nationwide, on Monday to protest vaccine mandates.
I want to be perfectly clear. Anyone who attempts to shut down the highways in Hamilton County will be removed from their vehicles, charged with felony Disrupting Public Services, and they will go to jail.
To those who claim to be supportive of law enforcement – law enforcement is not with you. This would pose a serious danger for our first responders and the community at large.
I have always been supportive of a citizen’s First Amendment right to protest. But, this is not lawful and it is reckless. It will not be tolerated.”
As of Monday morning, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Cincinnati Police Department, and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office are monitoring for possible protest activities throughout the day, according to a report from Cincinnati.com.
Please click here for more on the planned protests activities.