A few dozen protesters have decided that not enough highways had been blocked off during last weekend’s riots, so they thought they would do it one more time. Black Lives Matter activists in Minnesota, have disrupted the work day of thousands of Americans by blocking all southbound lanes of Interstate 35-W Wednesday during the peak of the morning rush hour. The entire protest lasted about an hour and a half.
The protesters were protesting the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by police officers in the suburbs of St. Paul last week.
Roughly 40 demonstrators using a handful of vehicles formed a blockade around 7:50 a.m. The protesters linked hands and stood in the middle of the road, chanting slogans. Within minutes, cars were backed up about four miles and needed to be rerouted by local police forces, causing significant delays for everyone trying to get to work.
A statement issued by Black Lives Matter said that the protesters disrupting traffic were made up of “a coalition of white people and non-Black People of color [acting] in solidarity with the movement for Black Lives, condemning the ongoing killings of Black people by police in the Twin cities and across the country.”
The spokesperson for the protesters, Oluchi Omeoga, a black man, told the Star Tribune, “We really want to stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. We are tired of fighting for our rights. We need other people to fight for our rights as well.”
Spectators showing support for the protesters took up stations on overpasses and closed freeway ramps, adding their voices to the chanting.
Police arrived not long after the activists took over the highway, warning protesters to leave immediately or be arrested. About 45 minutes after the protest began, 41 people were arrested. The highway was reopened not long after.
“They will be charged appropriately for their actions, which endangered the motoring public,” said Sgt. Jesse Grabow. Thankfully, no one was injured during the protest, although there are some reports of car damage.
Col. Matt Langer said that his agency “supports the right to exercise one’s First Amendment rights, but the freeway is not the place to do so.” He then called the blockade “unacceptable” because the highways “are used by everyone and are an artery for emergency vehicles.”
Black Lives Matter protesters used the same rioting method over the weekend when they shut down both directions of Interstate 94 in St. Paul, a confrontation that lasted from late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. Over 100 protesters were arrested for felony riot charges, including a cousin of Philando Castile.