Occupy Kilt

Occupy Boston and union members did not shut down the Charlestown Bridge tonight, unless you count the roughly two minutes police closed it to let the protesters march from Commercial Street onto Causeway Street.

Before the bulk of Occupy Boston came down Commercial Street (once again failing to lob even token protests at Romney headquarters), a bagpiper joined the hardhats and service workers who held protest signs where Commercial turns onto the bridge in advance of the rally.

Using the back of a pickup, Occupiers and union organizers exhorted the several hundred people who braved the cold, wet evening to call for reconstruction of rustbucket bridges like the one to Charlestown - and for jobs for the workers who would do the rebuilding:

By the time he spoke, there were probably 50 Boston cops, all outfitted with plastic handcuffs, guarding the bridge. Police continued to let traffic across the bridge, although traffic toward Charlestown was slowed as drivers tried to avoid all the cops standing on the sides of the outbound lanes. When the speeches were done, and unlike last month, the protesters simply marched to Causeway Street. Only then did police shut the bridge, and only as long as marchers were still crossing the wide intersection.

Once the marchers were past, police re-opened the bridge as the march walked down Causeway, then turned back toward Dewey Square, with a phalanx of walking, bicycling and motorcycling police providing an escort:

Along the way, marchers passed the dozen or so prisoner wagons parked by Avenir and then went under the Government Center Garage:

The bagpiper: