State Police Arrest 6 At Peaceful Protest Inside Logan Airport
BOSTON (CBS) -- Massachusetts State Police arrested several people during a peaceful protest inside Logan Airport in Boston on Monday.
Troopers let about 110 Service Employees International Union demonstrators gather briefly in Terminal E so they could rally and listen to speakers, police say. The group says they acted in the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., fighting for dignity and a livable wage.
"I know workers working very crazy hours," says Logan Airport worker Karl Selis, adding that they shouldn't have to work long hours just to make ends meet.
Logan Airport says they pay workers $11 per hour, which is $1 higher than the state's minimum wage.
Before the protest, organizers told State Police that several members may defy their orders to disperse.
Shortly before 1 p.m., troopers ordered the group to leave and all but six did. They were peacefully taken into custody and charged with trespassing, police said.
Police arrested five Massachusetts residents, including Yusuf Farah, 57, of Cambridge, Michael Gallagher, 67, of Boston, Mary Lombos, 41, of Roxbury, Marvin Martin, 61, of Dorchester and Jacqueline Wesley, 51, of Roxbury.
Troopers also arrested 46-year-old Roxana Rivera of Warwick, Rhode Island.
The arrested will likely be arraigned Tuesday in East Boston District Court, police say.
Similar protests also were held in 10 other airports nationwide, including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.