By Jim Clark

While monitoring a peaceful demonstration in the Davis Sq. area by students from Tufts University last Thursday afternoon, police were reportedly forced to place several individuals under arrest after they failed to clear the roadway as requested by officers.

A small force comprised of both Tufts and City of Somerville police officers accompanied the protestors as they marched down College Ave. and preceded to the Powder House rotary. The rotary was temporarily closed to vehicular traffic so that the demonstrators could safely cross the road on their way back to the Tufts campus.

As they protesters were crossing the rotary, a representative from the group reportedly approached police and stated that it was the intention of some of the protesters to stage a “sit in” at the rotary, thus prolonging the closure indefinitely.

Police advised the group’s representative that this could not be allowed, although a very brief sitting would be permitted to serve as a symbolic gesture by the protesters.

As the chanting protesters entered the rotary area, a number of them did sit themselves in the roadway, according to reports.

Police asked the protestors’ representative to advise the seated demonstrators that if they did not leave they would be placed under arrest.

The representative spoke with the protestors, and then reported to police that they would not leave and that they were not afraid of being placed under arrest.

At that point, police decided that the rotary had been blocked long enough and that several vehicles that had been backed up on all converging streets should be allowed to pass through the area.

The individuals involved in the blockade were peacefully taken into custody and removed from the rotary.

The following persons were placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct: Lorelei Kluever, Blaine Dzwonczyk, Vinik Zobella, Diane Gibson, Roxana Rivera, James Gordon, and Daniel Nicolai.

The scene was returned to normal, with traffic flow restored through the rotary.