(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) A large group of demonstrators blocked the outbound 14th Street Bridge between D.C. and Arlington during the evening rush hour.
Protesters were sitting down across the main southbound bridge span, according to D.C. police, but then started marching towards Arlington. The group — said to number in the hundreds — previously marched from the area around the Jefferson Memorial, according to scanner traffic.
Arlington County fire department medics were dispatched to the bridge at the request of Virginia State Police for a report of a protester who is dehydrated.
Drivers should expect delays in the area, though the outbound HOV lanes remained open. Police are on scene monitoring the demonstration.
Public safety watchdog Dave Statter broadcast live video of the protest, which as of 4:35 p.m. appeared to be winding down. Demonstrators, holding signs and flags, could be seen marching back toward D.C. Lanes reopened at 4:50 p.m.
The protest is related to the persecution of an ethnic group in Ethiopia, according to social media posts. It does not appear to be associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Group Sit-Down in progress on Outbound 14th St Bridge [Main Span] towards Arlington, VA
— DC Police Traffic (@DCPoliceTraffic) July 6, 2020
Group now marching Northbound [counter-flow] on Outbound 14th St Bridge [Main Span] towards DC
MPD and USPP diverting Outbound 14th St 🚗 onto the HOV Span of Outbound 14th St Bridge
FYI: Closures are subject to change – follow Authorities redirection— DC Police Traffic (@DCPoliceTraffic) July 6, 2020
#Alert: Crews have been dispatched to the 14th Street Bridge (I-395 SB) for a medical emergency related to ongoing protest activity on the bridge. Expect significant traffic delays.
— Arlington Fire (@ArlingtonVaFD) July 6, 2020
