Boston City Workers Block Traffic (1981) On this day in 1981, several hundred demonstrators, many of them off-duty and laid-off firemen, took part in a rush-hour blockade of major roadways in...
## Boston City Workers Block Traffic (1981)
### Thu Apr 30, 1981
Image: *Commuter traffic makes it way along Interstate 93 May 8th, 2001 in Boston. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Newsmakers) [turnto10.com]*
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On this day in 1981, several hundred demonstrators, many of them off-duty and laid-off firemen, took part in a rush-hour blockade of major roadways in Boston, protesting cuts to social spending.
Several dozen protesters marched arm-in-arm down the middle of the Southeast Expressway, the major highway for commuters from the city's southern suburbs.
At the time, the city's school system was "penniless", according to the New York Times, but forced to remain open due to a court order, and Boston was projected to become insolvent by July 1st. According to historian Howard Zinn, these protests continued for fifty-five nights, blocking major thoroughfares and the Sumner Tunnel during rush hour. Quoting the Boston Globe, Zinn wrote:
"The demonstrators in East Boston were mostly middle-aged, middle or working-class people who said they had never protested anything before."
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- Date: 1981-04-30
- Learn More: [www.nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/30/us/boston-s-rush-hour-traffic-blocked-in-protest-of-police-and-fire-l-ayoffs.html), [www.historyisaweapon.com](https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnunrepo22.html).
- Tags: [#Protests](/search?q=%23Protests&type=Posts&listingType=All&page=1&sort=New).
- Source: [www.apeoplescalendar.org](https://www.apeoplescalendar.org/calendar/events/boston-city-workers-block-traffic-1981)
### Thu Apr 30, 1981
Image: *Commuter traffic makes it way along Interstate 93 May 8th, 2001 in Boston. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Newsmakers) [turnto10.com]*
---
On this day in 1981, several hundred demonstrators, many of them off-duty and laid-off firemen, took part in a rush-hour blockade of major roadways in Boston, protesting cuts to social spending.
Several dozen protesters marched arm-in-arm down the middle of the Southeast Expressway, the major highway for commuters from the city's southern suburbs.
At the time, the city's school system was "penniless", according to the New York Times, but forced to remain open due to a court order, and Boston was projected to become insolvent by July 1st. According to historian Howard Zinn, these protests continued for fifty-five nights, blocking major thoroughfares and the Sumner Tunnel during rush hour. Quoting the Boston Globe, Zinn wrote:
"The demonstrators in East Boston were mostly middle-aged, middle or working-class people who said they had never protested anything before."
---
- Date: 1981-04-30
- Learn More: [www.nytimes.com](https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/30/us/boston-s-rush-hour-traffic-blocked-in-protest-of-police-and-fire-l-ayoffs.html), [www.historyisaweapon.com](https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnunrepo22.html).
- Tags: [#Protests](/search?q=%23Protests&type=Posts&listingType=All&page=1&sort=New).
- Source: [www.apeoplescalendar.org](https://www.apeoplescalendar.org/calendar/events/boston-city-workers-block-traffic-1981)