Fourteen members of the so-called Somerville 18 have avoided jail time, nine months after they blocked I-93 during a Black Lives Matter protest — enraging some, inspiring others, and sparking a sharp political debate about the limits of civil disobedience.
Thursday in Somerville District Court, fourteen individuals involved in that episode had their cases continued without a finding, after they accepted responsibility for trespassing on the January day in question.
In return, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office agreed to dismiss additional charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
As Judge Maurice Flynn ordered the protesters to perform 60 hours of community service, he struck a sympathetic note, saying: “They were participating in what they truly believed to be a just cause.”
Afterward, protester Mallory Kaczmarek told WGBH News that her faith in that cause is undiminished.
“I think it’s critically important again that we continue organizing,” Kaczmarek said. “We need people in the communities, we need people with their families, we need people working. We need less people locked up.”
Kaczmarek added that while she’s pleased she won’t be incarcerated, she doesn’t believe everyone gets the sort of legal treatment she and her fellow protesters received.
“I feel a sense of personal relief,” she said. “And it’s heavy in my heart that other people may not have had the opportunity to resolve their case in such a just way.”
Daunasia Yancey, the founder and lead organizer of Black Lives Matter Boston , wasn’t charged in connection with the protest. Still, she was in Somerville District Court to support the defendants, who she described as “my comrades.”
"I am glad that they won’t be facing jail time,” Yancey said. “However, I do see how [Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan] has tried to throw the book at them for standing up for black lives, and for their strong commitment to this movement.”
Ryan was not immediately available for comment Thursday.
While another protester had his case continued without a finding several weeks ago, the Somerville 18 aren’t out of the legal woods yet. Three more protesters are slated to go on trial in December, and face possible sentences of 45 days in jail.
