Protesters grind Boston traffic to a halt

Thousands of commuters called in late to work Thursday morning as activists protesting "Police and state violence against black people" embedded and chained themselves to barrels, blocked

traffic on I-93 north and south in Boston.

The January 15th action committee, a local Boston group with dozens of members sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement claimed responsibility for the protest, according to the Boston

Globe.

"This is not Black Lives Matter," Megan Collins, the January 15th Action Committee press coordinator told CNBC. "It was a group of white and non-black people of color acting in solidarity

with Black Lives Matter."

Collins added, "Black Lives Matter was aware and supportive of the action."

State troopers, local police and firefighters stopped all traffic on the highway and used power saws to cut protesters out of the 1,200 lb barrels they were attached to.

"The target of the actions were specifically chosen to impact white commuters, in the city of Boston," said Collins, "Today was a day chosen for white people to confront white complacency

and violence against the black people of Boston."

As of right now, the January 15th Action Committee, has no further plans for future protests, according to Collins. By her count, 15 protesters have been arrested on the southbound lane of

I-93 and 7-12 protesters in the northbound lane.

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