Minnesota state troopers have arrested 41 people after demonstrators blocked rush hour traffic on an interstate in downtown Minneapolis.
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The highway was reopened about an hour and a half later at 9:15 a.m., causing a traffic nightmare for those who were stuck on the interstate.
State Troopers arrived on the scene around 8:10 a.m.to control and divert traffic from the area.
“Our goal is to definitely have some visibility around the discrimination that black people are going through, especially with police brutality”, Omeoga said.
The closure of I-35W comes days after protesters shut down Interstate 94, demanding justice for Castile and the other black men who have been killed by police recently.
The Black Lives Matter-related coalition of people called the Coalition to Wake Your Ass Up released a statement denouncing Castile’s killing and said “this shutdown reinforces our belief that comfort and business as usual must be disrupted until substantive changes occur in our city and throughout the country”.
Patrol Colonel Matt Langer said the blockade was “unacceptable” given that the highways “are used by everyone and are an artery for emergency vehicles”.
Smilar protests as those in Minneapolis, the hometown of Philando Castile, have taken place around the country from California to NY. It appears they used their cars to block all lanes, and protesters are standing side-by-side with hands and arms locked.
Minnesota Department of Transportation said I-35W south is now closed at University Ave. near Lauderdale.
They are protesting police brutality, including the fatal shooting of Philando Castile by a suburban St. Paul officer during a traffic stop last week. They are not on the freeway and are not blocking traffic. We believe that security for all of us does not lie in use of aggression and force. There were reports that other Twin Cities protests were planned for the day. The aftermath of the shooting was streamed live on Facebook.
A state investigation into the Castile shooting began right after the incident the night of July 6. Research and our experience tells us that the vast amounts spent on militarized police make most communities, excluding the very wealthy, less secure.
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Protesters blocked I-35 in Minneapolis today in what could be the first sign that Black Lives Matter is getting their message heard.
