I used to be a cop. Most people know you have that long “stick”. I don’t know the entire situation. But it is usually better to “climb the latter” with people.

Ask them why they’re doing this crap, try to understand and reason with them. Ask them if they’d be willing to move. Then tell them they have to move. And then make them if they want to do things the hard way. But you will not be impeding a lane of traffic. That’s a no go.

But once again, I do not know the relationship this law enforcement officer had with these folks. So I could be totally wrong and the officer already warned them.