Metro East Sun

The Freedom Convoy will be passing through Illinois and Illinois State Police have issued a shrill warning discouraging protesters who they are threatening with arrest.

This reaction comes only two years after the same law enforcement agency assisted in the shutdown of the another interstate motorway for a Black Lives Matter protest.  

Many convoys are mapped to pass through Illinois on Interstate-70 beginning in East St. Louis and passing through Collinsville, Vandalia, Effingham, Teutopolis and other communities along I-70 in St. Clair, Madison, Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Cumberland and Clark counties.

The convoys will continue on into Indianapolis from there.

Illinois State Police Division of Patrol Colonel Margaret McGreal said the convoys will be rolling through the area Feb. 22 through March 5.

"The Illinois State Police cautions motorists who engage in acts that could endanger the safety of the motoring public," Illinois State Police Division of Patrol Col. Margaret McGreal said in a statement. "Illinois State Police officials have become aware of a planned event along several interstate corridors scheduled for Saturday, February 26, 2022 - Saturday, March 5, 2022, where truck drivers plan to conduct a 'convoy' causing traffic delays and potentially crashes."

Meanwhile, Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said the same convoy that will be traveling through Indiana right afterward is not a problem.

"It's business as usual for Indiana State Police," Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield said in statement. "We are monitoring traffic flow and motorist safety just like any other day. We have not been made aware of any intention to disrupt traffic in Indiana.”

Video and photos captured over the weekend show the protest being cheered on from overpasses as a convoy passed through Oklahoma en route to Washington, D.C., via Illinois.

McGreal warned that those participating in the protest could be subjected to criminal violations.

"Though the Illinois State Police respects the rights of citizens to express their opinions in a lawful manner, there is great concern with any event that is designed to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic," McGreal said in statement. "Traffic backups are a major contributing cause to traffic crashes which lead to property damage, personal injury, and even death. A planned event designed to impede normal traffic flow is dangerous to the innocent motoring public. Those who choose to participate in events that intentionally endanger the public and violate Illinois law will be subject to the enforcement of applicable laws and could potentially be held liable for traffic crashes occurring as a result of their actions."

The tone was much different in 2020, when the Illinois State Police said this instead when Black Lives Matter protesters blocked traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

"The Illinois State Police is aware of the planned protest to march along the Dan Ryan Expressway on August 15, 2020," the Illinois State Police said in a statement at the time. "We have been in contact with the protest organizers to set up a safe route of travel. The Illinois State Police will protect the rights of those seeking to peacefully protest while ensuring the safety of the public. We will keep interested media posted once more information is available."

On its approach to Washington, D.C., several convoys are currently moving through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The rally will conclude at the Capital Beltway, a 64-mile highway that surrounds the District of Columbia and runs through Virginia and Maryland.

The Canadian trucker convoy in Ottawa, which aimed to stop COVID protocols truckers deemed abusive and unnecessary, sparked the movement.

The protesting Canadians were dispersed after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used emergency powers reserved for times of imminent threat.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also been using a series of emergency measures to enforce COVID protocols on Illinoisans for the past two years.

Pritzker has refused to denounce Trudeau’s power grab and use of the Canadian law enforcement to stop a political movement. The Illinois State Police fall under Pritzker’s direct line of authority.