Marchers block part of Interstate 94 in St. Paul, Minn., Saturday, July 9, 2016, during a protest sparked by the recent police killings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana. Many are angry after two black men were shot to death by police.
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“We just can’t allow them to block the highway for the objective of blocking the highway”, said Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr., at a press conference Sunday to explain the arrests.
“I state explicitly that this decision does not change my office’s history of continuing to prosecute any local law enforcement officer responsible for violating our criminal laws. Justice & Accountability.” Castile’s and Sterling’s names were on the back, above the Dallas Police Department’s logo.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Lynx basketball team wore special black warm-up shirts to their game against the Dallas Wings on Saturday night in honor of Castile, Sterling and the Dallas Police Department.
“That is being addressed by us also”, Dabadie said.
At the governor’s residence more than 12 hours after the freeway shutdown began, protesters were encamped Sunday morning under the watch of a few police officers.
The night after Castile was killed, authorities say a black Army veteran attacked police at a protest in Dallas over the killings of Castile and Sterling.
Police say over 100 arrests were made during the protest, which began Saturday night at the Governor’s mansion before protesters marched to the interstate. “We’re out here trying to have a conversation with folks and figure out what we can do to move our police department to a better place”.
“Over the weekend, rioters endangered others when they stormed Interstate 94, refused to follow more than two-dozen orders from law enforcement officers to leave the freeway, and instead opted to participate in an incident that developed into a full-scale riot”, City Attorney Samuel Clark said in a statement Monday morning.
In the heat of the protest, as many as 300 people were spread across both the eastbound and westbound lanes.
He acknowledged a Baton Rouge officer pointed an assault weapon at protesters, but he said a supervisor immediately intervened to secure the weapon from her.
Police said a molotov cocktail was also tossed at officers, but it was unclear whether anyone had been hurt by it.
Before Saturday, protests over the killing of Castile had been largely peaceful.
In Washington, a group marched peacefully through downtown Saturday night, chanting, “We young”.
“It’s not just to defend the cops, it’s also to defend the protesters”, said Wedick, who was with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 35 years. The 32-year-old cafeteria worker’s girlfriend live-streamed the immediate aftermath of the shooting on Facebook, and the video quickly went viral.
The police in St. Paul said at least five officers were injured by fireworks, rocks, bricks and glass bottles that they said were thrown by protesters.
About 50 arrests were made on interstate.
The prosecutor in the police shooting and killing case of Alton Sterling recused himself from the case Monday because he is friends with the parents of one of the two Baton Rouge police officers involved in the killing, which comes amid doubts on whether Sterling’s family will receive a fair trial.
But Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Sunday he doubts his city’s protocol will significantly change.
Brooks said he wants federal and state legislators to pass laws to counter racial profiling by police.
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Police detained one person for questioning after the man was seen running from the area.
