As many as 200 protesters were blocking both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the major traffic artery connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul near the Lexington exits. Attorneys are working to put together a legal team to represent them.
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Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Paul shut down the I-94 highway for several hours Saturday night. One is charged with two counts of second-degree riot while armed with a risky weapon. They were given misdemeanor citations and released.
By 10 p.m., officers had issued the 16th order to vacate the interstate, and protesters were not budging. At that hearing, protesters could enter a plea.
Police made almost 200 arrests in Louisiana’s capital city during weekend protests around the country in which people angry over police killings of young black men sought to block some major interstates.
In St. Paul, however, scuffles broke out between protesters and police on Interstate 94.
About 9 p.m. on Twitter, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis posted: “We shut down 94 for Philando”. About 100 feet away from the crowd, a dozen police cars with lights flashing were lined up, with officers addressing the marchers over loudspeakers and ordering them to “leave now” or face forced arrests. Others attempted to return to I-94, but were contained and arrested by police.
In Fort Lauderdale, a large group of Black Lives Matter supporters walked to the Broward County Courthouse and then the county jail, where prisoners heard their shouts and tapped on windows in response, WPLG reported. Kushner said third-degree riot charges are “inappropriate” and “clearly politically motivated”. “There’s a lot of work to be done, with this Police Department specifically”.
St. Paul City Attorney Samuel Clark declined further comment on the cases.
The criminal complaint filed Monday alleges that protesters were given 20 warnings to disperse before they were arrested.
Individuals “are not entitled to bail until they have been charged”, the city attorney’s office statement said. “The fact that a handful of people, probably unconnected to the demonstration, committed acts of violence, should not elevate this act of nonviolent civil disobedience into something that poses a possible jail sentence of up to a year”.
The demonstrations in Chicago in recent days have been relatively peaceful, though police scuffled with some protesters Saturday, resulting in 16 arrests.
One man in attendance, named Banditsu, told CNN: “Black lives matter, I’m exhausted of seeing my brothers and sisters becoming a hashtag”. The interstate reopened early Sunday morning.
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The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/29vNW2i) reports the “Breaking White Silence” event began at noon Monday outside Metro Louisville Police Department headquarters.
