Roughly 40 protesters shut down Interstate 35W in Minneapolis for more than an hour during the Wednesday morning commute, before being arrested.
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“The State Patrol supports the right to exercise one’s First Amendment rights, but the freeway is not the place to do so”, said Col. Matt Langer, Minnesota State Patrol chief.
About two dozen protesters lined up across the bridge during rush hour traffic, chanting “Disarm, defund, take away their guns”. It appears they used their cars to block all lanes, and protesters are standing side-by-side with hands and arms locked.
The protesters are part of a non-black allies movement called “Wake Your Ass Up Collective” and are demonstrating in response to the recent killings of black men by police, including Philando Castile on July 6, a news release says.
Wednesday’s protest is the latest in response to Castile’s shooting.
Castile’s girlfriend streamed the immediate aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook in a video that prompted protests around the country, including in Dallas, where five officers were killed Thursday. Police said they arrested 46 people in the riot. They said they will not speak to the media. Even after the people who shut down the interstate were arrested, other protesters remained near the interstate as law enforcement officers asked them to leave.
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Four off-duty police officers working as security officers at a women’s basketball team in Minnesota walked off the job over the weekend after the Lynx players turned up wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts.
