The dreams of the "
People's Convoy" quickly died in the
Bay Area after a critical tactical error: turning onto a street with a Safeway and a group of bored kids.
The trucker convoy, which aimed to emulate the disruptive Canadian protests against COVID-19 restrictions, has failed spectacularly at every turn. During a few weeks of driving around Washington, D.C., the convoy
was held up by a single bicyclist, and some convoy members said they were having difficulty finding places for bathroom breaks and, as a result,
were forced to urinate in their pants.
After an anemic showing in Washington, the convoy made the long drive back across the country, landing in the Bay Area this week. Since the convoy began, practically all major COVID restrictions have been lifted in the United States, so it appears it's switched its messaging to support other conservative causes.
On Friday afternoon, the small convoy of semitrucks, pickup trucks, minivans and other cars drove to Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks' East Bay home to protest
her support of an abortion rights bill. As they honked and used bullhorns in the quiet residential neighborhood, neighbors gathered to heckle them right back, yelling at the truckers to get off their street.
Livestreams posted by convoy participants show police arriving to protect Wicks' home, which eventually prompted the group to move on. It was here the convoy members made their mistake, driving onto busy, one-lane College Avenue on the Berkeley-Oakland border. There, slowed down by the usual Friday afternoon traffic, they were sitting ducks outside the Safeway. A large group of kids, armed with eggs purchased at the grocery store, began pelting the convoy.
