8 Climate Protesters Arrested After Chaining Themselves To Boat Outside Gov. Charlie Baker's Swampscott Home
SWAMPSCOTT (CBS) - A group of climate protesters were arrested Tuesday morning after chaining themselves to a boat outside of Governor Charlie Baker's house in Swampscott.
Seven people who were chained to the boat and an eighth who was on top of it were all arrested.
The following people were transported to Lynn District Court to be arraigned on charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing:
- Gregory Mangan, 69, of Somerville
- Gerard Frank, 67, of Dudley
- James Comiskey, 31, of Somerville
- Jennifer Smith, 47, of Watertown
- Dylan Sessler, 27, of Hampstead, N.H.
- Allen McGonagill, 32, of Somerville
- Nora Maynard, 38, of Turners Falls
- Alexander Chambers, 23, of Boylston
Each was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay 100 feet away from Baker and his home.
A boat with the words "climate emergency" painted on the side was brought in on a trailer and parked at the end of Baker's driveway around 7 a.m.
Massachusetts State Police were called in and ordered the protesters to unchain themselves and leave. When they refused, the troopers shut down the street.
State Police told WBZ-TV's Nick Giovanni the protesters used a maneuver called "sleeping dragons," which is essentially metal bracelets linked to a post, to attach themselves to the boat. Specially-trained troopers used a saw to break them free.
Each member of the group was restrained with zip ties and taken into custody. A crew was brought in to tow the boat away.
There has been no comment yet from Baker's office. It's not known if he was home at the time.
At the start of the protest, the group "Extinction Rebellion Boston" tweeted a photo of the boat, saying, "the pink boat has landed at Governor Baker's house, just above sea level (for now). Rebels have locked on. We demand climate justice and a declaration of climate and ecological emergency. The time to act is now."
The group describes itself as an organization that demands "government action" on climate breakdown and "ecological collapse."
The protesters told reporters outside the courthouse they had no regrets.
"I think it was worth it," said one woman, who was asked why the group didn't protest outside the Statehouse instead of Baker's home. "We've done that. He hasn't listened. So we had to go to his home."
