4 charged in Kelley Square protesting; 'Black Lives Matter'.

Byline: Samantha Allen

WORCESTER -- Four protesters who blocked traffic in Kelley Square as part of a "Black Lives Matter'' protest earlier this year have been summoned to court on charges related to the incident.

The protestors, identified by police as Robert Blackwell Gibbs, 39, of Worcester; Julius R. Jones, 34, of Worcester; Kevin M. Ksen, 48, of Worcester; and Sonya Conner have each been charged with being a disorderly person and disturbing the peace.

"The summonses were a result of an investigation that's been going on since the incident occurred,'' Worcester Police Sgt. Kerry F. Hazelhurst said. "Based on the investigation and results, those four were charged.''

Approximately 30 to 40 protesters crowded Kelley Square about noon Jan. 19, standing together and blocking traffic while singing a song called "I Can't Breathe'' as part of national protests in response to Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City deaths at the hands of police. The protest -- which lasted about 41/2 minutes -- came a few days after several people blocked traffic on Interstate 93 in Medford and Milton for a similar cause on Jan. 15.

Mr. Jones told a reporter Jan. 19 that he and about two dozen people gathered for 41/2 minutes to block the area near an Interstate 290 ramp. The number of minutes blocking the road signified each hour Michael Brown's body lay in the street after a police shot him dead in Ferguson in August.

The grand jury's decision last fall not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the death of Mr. Brown in Missouri sparked national outrage. The "I Can't Breathe'' movement grew a few weeks later, as news circulated of Eric Garner's death in Staten Island after an officer pinned him down in a chokehold. Mr. Garner was recorded on video...