Over a hundred big trucks, and hundreds of smaller vehicles turned out in Anchorage on Sunday for the convoy to Eagle River to show support for the Canadian truckers, who are protesting in Ottawa and at the U.S. border over vaccine mandates.
The convoy, organized by Anchorage Assemblywoman Jamie Allard and others, moved slowly from Cabela’s in South Anchorage, north to Dimond Blvd. and east to the New Seward Highway, joining the Glenn Highway that carried the participants to the Eagle River exit and on to the Lion’s Club parking lot rally location.
Truckers communicated to each other about the route conditions and breaks in the convoy or stoplight delays over their “Haul Road” CB channel. Nick Means, the pilot car driver and one of the organizers, kept a slow and steady pace to ensure everyone stayed reasonably together, and at one point the convoy stretched from C Street by Costco all the way to the Lions Club in Eagle River.
“We need this mandate gone even for what we do,” said Means. “It affects our heavy haul industry to the North Slope with loads that come from Canada and from the Lower 48 that get hauled up to Alaska for the lifeline of our industry. We depend on the oil fields for work.”
Means, who owns Scrap Alaska Pilot Car Services in Wasilla and employs five drivers, was among several who took charge of the event to ensure it went safely and was managed professionally.
Chugiak-Eagle River Assemblywoman Allard rode in a pilot car and spoke before the rally. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka also spoke at the Cabela’s rallying point to a crowd filled with flag-waving patriots, and she challenged Sen. Lisa Murkowski over her record. In Eagle River, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson joined Assemblywoman Allard on the flatbed truck stage to thank everyone for coming and to state their opposition to government-forced Covid vaccines.
Other organizers included Randi Matheson, a driver who also operates the Alaska Alaska Highway Conditions for Truckers and Pilot Cars Facebook page, which is popular with commercial truckers for real-time road conditions shared in a closed group.
Drone footage of the start of the convoy.
Facebook video of the rally at the Lion’s Club in Eagle River.
An estimated 400 people took part in Sunday’s convoy, with many more on overpasses waving flags and signs to support the drivers.
Those wishing to financially support the Canadian truckers were encouraged to donate to the new primary site for the distribution of trucker aid at https://www.givesendgo.com/freedomconvoy2022. The group supporting the Canadian truckers has had to abandon the GoFundMe fundraising site because the GoFundMe corporate leaders refused to help the truckers and threatened to withhold the money from the donors. GiveSendGo is the new donation site the Canadian group is using to distribute the aid to help with fuel, food, and other expenses of the Canadian vaccine mandate protesters.
(With thanks to Jimmy Johnson Enterprises for providing bird’s-eye view transportation for Must Read Alaska.)
I’m no mathematician, but if it stretched from C Street to Eagle River I’d estimate it was a few more than 400 ?♀️?
Sally – You may be right. Our drone could not go further north to observe due to JBER and Merrill Field air space. – sd
I rode along with the truckers. I was happy to see all the support along the road. The overpasses were lined with supporters. Everyone that was passing the slow moving convoy were honking. I heard horns from the other side of the highway too. Best wishes to all those who supported the effort. Murkowski thinks she’s a representative of her Alaskan people? I don’t think so. I’m ashamed I supported her in the past. She certainly lost me and my family. She should wake up and smell some coffee in the morning. I don’t think ranked choice voting will even help her. If Kelly Tshibaka gets over 50% on the first round, there is no second round . Right? I don’t know her as well as Lisa, but from what I know now about Lisa, she will NOT get my vote ever again! I would literally vote for anyone that ran against her. I’m glad that there are alternatives, because I’m going to vote for that alternative.
Hi Suzanne,
who had the drone footage, can you post links to the footage when its put out?
Patrocles – It’s at the top of our Facebook page today https://www.facebook.com/mustreadalaska – sd
Happy to stand with our Canadian truckers today!
YES! As a Canadian, I proudly stand in defiance of these mandates with my American Brothers and Sisters! You guys are the BEST!
Great job everyone! I’m so proud to be an Alaskan today. Honk Honk!
First, I never post in here but this irritated me so much.
I understand wanting to protest to support your
beliefs, but the comparatively remote intersection of Eagle River loop and Eagle River road seems just silly… There weren’t that many supporters and it just caused irritation for people who live there, going to Walmart, ot trying to have a peaceful Sunday.
Honking semi truck horns for over an hour was disrespectful and lacks the civility that a peaceful protest should have. I really would like to talk to the person who has a train horn on his vehicle. Additionally, the traffic congestion was horrific, I felt bad for those trapped.
If your going to protest, be a little smarter in where you plan on doing it (perhaps the Canadian border where the issue is actually is relevant). Similarly to the Bronson rally in the summer, it just makes people mad, does nothing to increase your cause, and honestly feels down right illegal.
Next time have some consideration please.
And….Three years later democrats will remember the freedom convoy and be doing the same thing ‘honk for a.o.c.’ Democrats are just as guilty as what your crowd charges. I thinking of the anchorage blm demonstrators kneeling in the middle of northern lights blvd. The trouble with criticizing others is see there be no log in your own eye before attempting to remove the specks or blemishes in your neighbors
It is a shame that you cannot see the bigger picture here, Peter.
Fighting tyranny is rarely if ever a quiet and unobtrusive process.
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And I’m sorry that you value your total Sunday tranquility, for an hour or two, more than you value those fighting for their freedoms from tyrannical governmental overreach and hysteria.
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I guess what I am trying to say here, Peter, is that I find your comment insulting, self-absorbed and pathetically shallow
Maybe if the truckers headed downtown, smashed a few shop windows and lit the courthouse on fire. Would you find that type of a protest more palatable?
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Seriously though (please take the snark for what is was meant as, snark), the protest was not about an intersection. It was about hundreds of people taking the time out of their Sunday to let the various levels of government know we have had enough. When you get a line of vehicles running for miles from lower mid town Anchorage to Eagle River, it says a lot.
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Sorry your day was disturbed. The good news is this was a one day event, not a nightly occurrence (see Portland mostly peaceful protest).
Everyone in the area knew this convoy was going to happen and there was plenty of time to plan for it, you didn’t and it’s nobody’s fault but your own.
Peter dear…you have my permission to move to Venezuela where the government tells you when to poop! Can I help you pack??
The mood was joyous and contagious among our group on the Hiland Road overpass yesterday! And there were FAR more than 100 big rigs! At time I could easily see at least ten at one time, and that was a limited view of probably no more than half a mile looking at the outbound lanes.
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“For your freedom and ours”
“For your freedom and ours”
How brave of them to ignore scientific reality. They claim this is about freedom but all they really are is spoiled little children whining about not getting their way.
Is that the same science that says a man can become an actual woman, or a woman an actual man? You mean that science? Now go put in a mask and get a few more boosters. Thanks!
As usual for radical leftists nowadays, your specious and dishonest comment is a complete inversion of reality. It is in fact all the hysterical, irrational, paranoid and pro-authoritarian Branch Covidian cultists who are ignoring science, and have been doing so from the beginning of the panic-demic.
Applies equally well to every position taken up during this panicdemic.
Can’t do this in Juneau. Our Lib leaders are pressuring the Chief of Police to hunt down those responsible for the small convoy that formed here on a Saturday. Libs can burn, loot, and assault police, but drive your truck down the road with a flag and it’s an insurrection. Go figure…
Laws for thee, but not for me eh? Even the 4th of july parade has to get a permit. Why do you think you’re the exception?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Never mind that its pretty clear that our chief of police is one of those ‘lib’ leaders.
You would think he had enough on his hands with junkies in every bus stop, shoplifting running wild and a number of unsolved murders….
Bob, why do you think the chief is a lib? Because he follows the law? That’s a really bad assumption you make, assuming only liberals follow the law. Tells me a lot about your personality.
Is if there were a hundred big trucks and hundreds of smaller vehicles Perhaps the headline should be be “Thousands turn out for trucker convoy from Anchorage to Eagle River”. I participated in the convoy yesterday and it was an amazing turn out of support. I’ve never seen anything like it in Alaska before.
Jordy, maybe so. The number was likely much larger than 400. – sd
It warms the heart to see people taking their Sunday afternoon to participate in something like this.
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The Assembly and the ADN (sorry to repeat myself) would like us to believe the majority of people support the lockdowns, the masking, and mandatory vaccination. But, where is there protest/demonstration? How many would show up if there was one?
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The voluntary participation speaks volumes.
As is usual with bullies and cowards, the authoritarian majority on the Anchorage ass-embly rely on the compliance and the tacit complicity of the meek and the spineless in the furtherance of their tyranny. But as history has demonstrated countless times, it only takes a small but determined minority to successfully challenge and overturn tyrannical authorities. And I firmly believe that those who oppose the Covidian Cult’s insanity and authoritarianism are NOT the minority, but the majority of the population, even in today’s politically degenerate Anchorage.
Good point there Jefferson.
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Too many people only listen to the side they agree with. I am just as guilty as the next person. The assembly has demonstrated that they have no interest in even having an open and honest dialogue about the issues. And, the public is beginning to wake up to it.
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I am doing my part by talking with my neighbors and friends. I am not telling who to vote for, but I am telling them how our representative on the assembly has voted, and what the impact of those votes has been. Things like voting for luxury spending when the city got a $37.7M non-discretionary budget hit. Or diverting millions of dollars of CARES act funding to pet projects and the homeless, instead of the businesses hit hardest. Oh… and let’s not forget voting to allow the chair to silence a citizen giving testimony. That’s a biggie.
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Spread the word. Get more of the silent majority to start paying attention.
Saw you there at the start!!
I participated in the convoy and listened to the truckers on my radio scanner during the event. I was blown away by their professionalism, experience and utmost attention to safety. I don’t know if they rehearsed this beforehand, but it was impressive to say the least. I was proud to be a part of the convoy and show my support.
I saw that Burger King had Friday special… Breaded chicken sandwich!!
These people almost caused me to slide the road and miss my exit.
If people want to keep impeding on others ability to live then they aren’t for freedom. They aren’t patriots, and they are actively against America.
The mandates aren’t stopping anyone from keeping their jobs, their inability to overcome their innate primal fear of a shot is.
They demand the freedom to choose, but the choice they are making drastically affects others lives. It’s selfish. It’s not freedom. Everyone needs to start being an adult, I’m tired of this.
Oh, the irony of a Covidian Cultist complaining about those standing up for freedom —- their own AND his — after two years of coercive insanity, during which the social and educational development of untold children was damaged, millions of livelihoods and lives disrupted or thrown into chaos, millions of small business severely set back or outright destroyed, trillions of dollars wasted and then created from nothing, fueling rampant and growing currency depreciation, all due to fearmongered hysteria over a rather mild virus, and all for the sociopathic self-interest of politicians, big corporations and the medical-industrial complex.
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Yes, I’m tired of this too.
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