Opinion: Blocking interstates is a crime. ENFORCE IT

Summer Taylor, a 24-year old woman from Seattle died Saturday night from injuries sustained when a vehicle drove around several vehicles that were being used as a blockade for a group of protesters who were “dancing to relieve stress” in the middle of Interstate 5 in Seattle early Saturday morning.

In this incident, the 27-year old driver reportedly accessed the closed highway by going the wrong way down an exit ramp, sped up as he drove around the blockade vehicles and struck Taylor and critically injured another woman, identified as Diaz Love, 34 from Bellingham.

The tragic death of this young woman was completely avoidable. Had the protesters not blocked the highway, this woman would be alive. While the protesters seem intent on laying the blame on virtually everyone else, they are at fault for this death. In a make shift “press conference” Saturday, a group of protest organizers claim that this incident part of wider conspiracy in which the police supposedly “coordinated this attack” with several other people, and that they, the organizers, have no responsibility in this incident.

One of the organizers even even amazingly said “I don’t know how many time in the past seven days our lives have been put in danger because of other peoples stupidity” while they were blocking the interstate. That press conference is below.

Here is the truth, blocking an interstate is a crime. If this crime was not committed, Taylor would have never been hit. Instead, this crime resulted in the death of a young woman. That is called involuntary manslaughter. Charge these protesters.

The Hobbs Act also applies to these protesters making the act of blocking an interstate a Federal crime. The Hobbs Act prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce “in any way or degree.” Because these protesters have issued a list of demands, and have stated they will continue to block traffic (interstate commerce) until those demands are met, that meets the definition of extortion under the Hobbs Act.

So charge each of these protest organizers with a violation of the Hobbs Act. Charge them with a federal felony. Stop encouraging protesters to block highways. This is one way to INSTANTLY save lives.

(Just to be clear, I am saying the organizers should be charged along with the driver of the vehicle. They are equally responsible for the death of Taylor)