Neponset Drive-In Movie Theatre Patrons Trapped in Cars - Massachusetts State Police Enforce 'Shelter in Place' - Same 2 Movies Played Over and Over

(UPI) In an unhappy reverse of fortunes Neponset Drive-In Movie Theatre took a turn for the strange in the last few days.  The initial welcome of the opening of the riverside drive-in by people who could not go to shuttered movie theaters because of state wide business closing due to COVID-19 turned in to an unhappy situation as they found they could not leave.  People with children especially liked having a place to take the children in the family car after being home alone with the kids for a week. 

But when Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker announce the forced closing of all non-essential businesses and an advisory to 'shelter in place' under lock-down the Massachusetts State Police blocked the exits to the Neponset Drive-In.  People were told that they must shelter in their cars until the police clarified if they could return to their homes.

"We want to stop the spread of this virus," Sergeant Jay McTeague said.  "Under the Commonwealth of Massachusetts laws a person who is in their car eating and entertaining and watching a film is legally in their 'domicile' at least temporarily.  Until the governor rules these people can leave after CORVID-19 testing these cars and their occupants are going nowhere." 

Mayor Welsh went with a detail of Boson Police to open at least one of the exits to the drive-in.  After a tense stand off the Boson Police and mayor retreated in the face of the State Police SWAT team backed up by a National Guard unit with AR-15s. 

Mayor Welsh said, "We simply don't have the fire power to face these superior forces down. 

The mayor was allowed to address the trapped patrons over the drive-in's public address system and announced that the snacks at the concession stand would be free to the patrons from that time forward.  Previously the Neponset Drive-In staff had been offering free day-old popcorn and 50% off all other snacks.  The drive-in says they do have enough toilet paper for a week or so if people don't wipe excessivly. 

When masked National Guard troopers went car to car handing out wool blankets during the freezing nights many patrons had angrily refused to take the blankets.  Some said their children were afraid of the troopers and heavily armed police who often have masks and sunglasses or night vision googles. 

Unfortunately, for contractural reasons, the drive-in can only play the two movies they were showing when the 'shelter in place' lock-down was announced.  The first run feature was the Harley Quinn movie 'Birds of Prey,' with a second run feature of the 2016 re-make of Ghostbusters.  The films are shown over and over to help distract the patrons, and to fulfill the legal obligations the theater has to the distributers of the films. 

Patrons complain that they can turn the sound down, but that beside the parking lot and the Neponset river that is all they can see through their car windows.

A brief respite from the bleak lock-down came Tuesday morning when there was a dusting of snow.  Children got out of their cars and played a little throwing snowballs until the State Police SWAT team fired a 'flash-bang' grenade and ordered everyone back into their vehicles.

"This is for their own good," a masked State Trooper said.  "We will do anything to keep them safe." 

"What if these children get sick?  They might spread the virus to the troops and state police." 








Fortunately their is electric power to each vehicle through the speaker system and heaters that are at each parking spot.  People have laptops and smart phones to communicate with the outside world.  A number have written scathing reviews of bothe 'Harley Quinn' and 'Ghost Busters 2016.' 

A visibly angry City Councilor Ema Strickland, who is an openly gay feminist reacted to the negative reviews of the two movies starring female casts.  The trapped patrons have published detailed critiques online at Reddit, and Twitter, an Instagram. 

"This is pure mysogyny! These aren't honest evaluations of the films, both of which I saw in theaters when they came out.  Women should support these movies to help women in Hollywood who need our support more than ever.  The patriarchy can not hide behind a wall of State Police and National Guard.  When the crisis is over I intend to file complains against the men who are giving these films bad reviews.  No one cares what old white men think.  These movies were not made for you." 

"Then why are we forced to watch them over and over and over and over," one angry lock-downed patron tweeted as Councilor Strickland was speaking. "Please just turn these god-awful movies off.  I'd rather just stare at my wife and children, or the river." 

A couple of patrons left their cars and tried to get down to the Neponset River's edge.  They were greeted by a Massachusetts State Police Boat on the water, and a State Police Helicopter overhead. 

"You people aren't going anywhere," an officer announced over a bullhorn from the deck of the USS Constitution police craft.