iradiophilly | News - Women's March in Philly; Delaware River Bridge Closed; Rittenhouse Toke Back the Wall Protest

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Women's March in Philly; Delaware River Bridge Closed; Rittenhouse Toke Back the Wall Protest

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 01/22/17 12:24 am | updated: 01/22/17 3:02 am

Organizers say around 50,000 attended today's Women;s March on Philadelphia, more than double the expected 20,000. The demonstration took place Saturday morning and afternoon as attendees marched from Logan Square to Eakins Oval along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. They held signs and chanted along the half-mile stretch. The event's focus was on women's rights, but also served to unify America's diverse communities following a contentious election. Many expressed their dissatisfaction of and disappointment with the new president, the day after President Trump's inauguration. Once at Eakins Oval, marchers peacefully rallied and listened to speakers. Philadelphia's march was one of many held around the world today in solidarity with the main one in Washington, D.C., which drew around 500,000 people.

The Delaware River Bridge connecting the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes was closed on Friday afternoon for emergency repairs. A painting crew found a fracture in a truss around 3 pm. Evening commuters on either side of the river experienced long delays trying to find a suitable detour. The closest bridge is the narrow Burlington-Bristol bridge, but that is one lane each way leading into neighborhoods with occasional bridge openings for passing ships. Officials are suggesting using the Scudder Falls Bridge which is on I-95 near Trenton. Construction work on the emergency repair will be done by the end of the weekend, but officials say the bridge will remain closed until a more permanent solution can be determined. That assessment will take about two weeks. There is no word on whether the bridge would have to be closed during construction. If you are headed east on the PA Turnpike and need to go to New Jersey you can follow this detour: Exit at the Bensalem Interchange, #351 in Bucks County. Follow U.S. Route 1 north, to I-95 north, to I-295, south, to I-195 east. Take Exit 6 on I-195, and reenter the NJ Turnpike.

Earlier this week, organizers for the "Toke Back The Wall" protest met with police to discuss how they would orderly surrender after publicly smoking marijuana at their planned demonstration in Rittenhouse Square. The event was first organized after signs were posted in the park prohibiting sitting on the stone walls. Authorities cited vandalism and pot smoking as two reasons for the new rules. The signs were quickly taken down on Tuesday after much public pushback. However, the organizers still wanted to go ahead with their event, which was held on Friday at 4:20 p.m., to show the public that marijuana smokers can be responsible park patrons. After the group members took a perch on the wall and lit up their joints, they each then graciously headed to a Philadelphia Police processing van to receive a citation. Small amounts of marijuana is decriminalized in Philadelphia, but it is still illegal. Possession is a $25 fine and smoking is $100.

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by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA | responded: 01/22 3:02 am

phillyNORML "Toke Back the Wall" demonstration in Rittenhouse Square

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