Police arrested several people who were blocking Beacon Street in front of the State House as part of a protest against cuts to the MBTA’s service for disabled and elderly passengers.
The protest began peacefully around noon but moved into the street 20 minutes later. After seven in folding chairs or wheelchairs stopped traffic for another 20 minutes, police moved in arrested “four to five” of them, according to an officer on the scene.
The rally, organized by MassUniting and the Massachusetts Senior Action Coaltion, was called to protest the large fare hikes to the MBTA’s paratransit service The RIDE. According to MassUniting, while fares for regular MBTA service went up 23 percent, the cost of The Ride has ballooned up to 150 percent over the past year. The most recent transportation proposal calls for an addition $ 6.5 million cut to The Ride.
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