In September of last year we reported on a class action lawsuit filed as a result of traffic disruptions that occurred at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on April 15, 2024: Anti-Israel Activists Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Chicago O’Hare Airport Blockade:
A group of anti-Israel activists has been sued over the Chicago O’Hare airport blockade that left thousands of motorists trapped in their cars earlier this year.Apparently, they thought that wreaking havoc with everyday Americans’ travel plans would drum up support to “free Palestine.”https://twitter.com/wajacobson/status/1779867448952455439But the travelers who had to abandon their cars and drag their luggage to the airport so they wouldn’t miss their flights weren’t won over.They were furious:https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1779873957383913533Earlier this week, the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) announced a class action lawsuit against the activists on behalf of the victims of the nearly three-hour traffic stoppage. They seek redress for their client, Christopher Manhart—and everyone else stuck in their cars that day. Manhart missed his flight and important meetings because of the blockade, according to the lawsuit.
Interestingly, Chicago O’Hare wasn’t the only location targeted on April 15 of last year, as we reported. Pro-Palestinian protestors stopped traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, I-880 in Oakland, downtown Philadelphia, San Antonio, and even the entrances to Lockheed-Martin headquarters.
And, earlier that month on, on April 1, 2024, anti-Israel protestors stopped traffic in Washington, D.C. And now the same group that sued of the Chicago O’Hare stoppage, the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI), is also suing over the D.C. blockage:
From HLLI’s January 31, 2025 press release: HLLI Sues Jewish Voice for Peace and Other Anti-Israel Activists Over Traffic Blockades in Washington, D.C.:
The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) filed a lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia concerning the February 1, 2024 blockade of several intersections leading into Washington, D.C. This was a coordinated effort by several groups demonstrating against the existence of the state of Israel.HLLl’s client, Dan Faoro, was among the victims. He was stuck in his car for close to an hour, with no idea when he would be able to continue his commute into work. He eventually navigated out of traffic and returned home. Also, other travelers were forced to miss work or other appointments. Police arrested 23 activists and removed the blockades, eventually allowing Faoro to navigate out of traffic and return home.The client brings his complaint as a class action on behalf of himself and thousands of others falsely imprisoned in their cars or otherwise displaced by the blockade. The case defends the rights of citizens unlawfully impeded by anti-Israel, pro-Hamas groups engaging in illegal acts of obstruction rather than peaceful protest. HLLl’s legal team seeks damages and a court injunction to prevent future disruptions like this.The suit names several defendants, including:
- Jewish Voice for Peace, Inc. d/b/a Occupation Free DC
- Dissenters
- WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
- Palestinian Youth Movement
- Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, Inc.
- Dornethia “Nee Nee” Taylor
- Party of Socialism and Liberation
- Brian Becker
- Maryland2Palestine
- Hannah Shraim
- 23 John and Jane Does
HLLI may name additional defendants as the lawsuit progresses.Some of the individuals who blocked traffic chained themselves together in the middle of highways to blockade traffic, and others used PVC piping attached over their arms to form human chains to further block roads.Many of the individuals held signs that said, “Free Palestine” or “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Must be Free”, and chanted slogans including ”Free Free Palestine”, “The Occupation Has Got to Go”, “We Don’t Want No Jewish State”, and “If We Don’t Get It, Shut It Down!”
The press release also includes a statement from HLLI President Anna St. John:
Unlawful traffic blockades that trap innocent citizens in their cars are not a form of protest-they are acts of aggression. We are determined to hold accountable those who use intimidation and obstruction to push their agenda, and we will fight to protect the rights of Americans who were unjustly targeted by these disruptive, antisemitic actions.
We reached out to HLLI to see if they had anything to add and Ms. St. John stated simply: “These unlawful traffic blockades were deliberate, coordinated efforts to create chaos. The individuals and organizations behind them must be held accountable for their actions.”
You can review the Complaint here, and at the bottom of this post. The key opening paragraph of the Complaint states as follows:
Americans rightly celebrate their rights to speak and protest. But this right does not extend to imprisoning motorists in their vehicles. As the Supreme Court has said, “The freedom of association protected by the First Amendment does not extend to joining with others for the purpose of depriving third parties of their lawful rights.” Protestors may speak loudly, they may be rude, they may shock audiences, but they cease being protestors when they use force to block roads full of bystanders trapped in their vehicles. This creates a massive public nuisance and puts thousands of individuals at risk. The Defendants did this in a misguided effort to extort political change, and by doing so harmed thousands of ordinary people. Plaintiff Faoro was among those victimized, and he demands damages on behalf of himself and thousands of others wronged by the Defendants on February 1, 2024, when they conspired to block traffic at several key intersections leading into Washington, D.C. Plaintiff Faoro also seeks an injunction to preclude Defendants from repeating this harmful public nuisance.
I remember when this happened and was thinking I wish someone would sue. Well, now they have. The case has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and is captioned Faoro v. Jewish Voice for Peace, Inc. (D.D.C. 1:25-cv-00289). No judge has been assigned to the case yet, but we’ll follow along and report on the outcome or if there are happenings of note as the case proceeds.
The previous case regarding the Chicago O’Hare blockage, Manhart v. AJP Education Foundation, Inc. (N.D. Ill. 1:24-cv-8209) is just beginning despite being filed in September, with the Plaintiff filing a “Second Amended” Complaint on January 29, 2025.
We can expect the defendants to deny any legal liability and to defend the case vigorously, as they are in the Chicago case. We’ll follow this case as well and fill you in on events as they occur.
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