The absence of daily communication from the loudest leaders behind the convoy has left a myriad of opinions on what’s next, including where to park their rigs.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. – EDITOR’S NOTE: The video above is from March 16, when a truck convoy drove into the DC Beltway.
Over the past 27 days, much has been said about the convoy of hauliers and supporters who arrived at Hagerstown Speedway after traveling across the country to protest COVID-19 mandates. Much of that dialogue has come from the hauliers themselves as they livestream on YouTube from their morning meetings and their dashboards.
Now it seems that the message is less unified than ever, and the ideas of what is next for these hitherto peaceful protesters are becoming more extreme.
Over the weekend, vocal leader and People’s Convoy organizer Brian Brase told attendees he was taking leave to Ohio to spend time with family and bring his truck back to continue the convoy’s protests. He did not specify how many days he would be absent.
The story has continued its back and forth about whether the convoy is making an impact, as their influence apparently peaked when they met with U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson earlier this month. In recent days, videos showing cyclists and pedestrians blocking the convoy’s attempts to cross DC freely have shown the determination of DC residents, especially those accustomed to heavy traffic.
Daily streamers such as Sasnak, whose name is Stan, and OTR Survival, whose name is John Bigard, posted less frequently to start the week and had little information about the direction of the convoy from Tuesday. Both, however, made allegations that a disease has affected a number of participants in the convoy, but do not believe that the disease, described as respiratory and sinus virus on livestreams, is COVID-19 related.
Bigard posted a video in which he claimed he had gone to an emergency room for symptoms that made him feel as if he had been “hit by a bus.” He said he hoped a regiment of antibiotics and steroids would soon get him back on his feet and behind the wheel.
The rhetoric from Ron Coleman, another vocal leader of the convoy, took a sharp turn on Monday. Coleman claimed that the Metro Police were carrying out illegal activities by blocking highway exits to filter the protest and prevent the convoy from moving into the center as a large group. He also claimed that some convoy members intend to make civil arrests of officers and highway drivers causing dangerous road conditions.
In a video posted Tuesday afternoon in response to his own original comments, Coleman clarified that the idea of civil arrests was posed as a question regarding the constitutionality of the roadblocks by the MPD and is not a target of the convoy.
Video also circulated on Reddit showing a number of semi-trucks boxing in a Tesla on the Beltway, though Maryland State Police told WUSA9 that the incident, unlike other published reports, did not constitute an attempted abduction.
Early Tuesday morning, emotions on the speedway came to a head when a livestream from First Responders Media showed a convoy participant on the microphone making false allegations, and a number of spectators approached him and threatened him with violence over “attempts to misinform and divide us.”
Confusion grew as a Thursday deadline to leave Hagerstown Speedway piled up, increasing the need to find a new location to house the hauliers’ large space requirements. But Monday night, leaders spoke with the convoy in Hagerstown, saying they were negotiating with speedway officials to stay another week.
Requests for comment from the daily livestreamers, MPD and Hagerstown Speedway officials have not been returned to WUSA9.