20 People Were Arrested for Blocking an Expressway During #Afromation Protest in Baltimore (UPDATE)

20 protesters were arrested for obstructing the I-83 expressway in Baltimore.

Image via WJZ

UPDATE (7/17/16): The Baltimore Police Department has released a statement about the Interstate 83 arrests, claiming protesters were warned several times to stay off the highway. The statement says that 55 adults and 10 juveniles were arrested and "will be charged with failure to obey and illegally walking on a highway." Following the arrests, police responded to a call for the shooting of a 48-year-old male. "Detectives believe robbery may have been the motive. The suspect is described as a black male who was wearing dark clothing," the statement says. 

See original story from 7/16/16 below. 

Baltimore's annual ArtScape Festival that runs from July 15 to 17 drew thousands for the event on Saturday located downtown just north of Penn Station. The festival went reportedly from lighthearted for many to chaotic as a multitude of protesters began to march against police brutality on the city's Interstate-83 expressway.

According to WBAL News, the participants in the march, which is signified by the hashtag #Afromation on social media, moved through the festival around 6:00 p.m., and proceeded towards the onramp of the I-83 expressway, which subsequently blocked oncoming traffic. As the protesters walked in a tight-knit brigade to stop the traffic flow, Baltimore police took action and arrested 20 total. You can look at the Periscope from the scene of the arrests below:

In an email that detailed the scene, Baltimore police spokesman Lt. Jarron Jackson stated, "Once on the interstate, they locked arms and blocked traffic along the northbound lanes for a short period of time before officers arrived and began making arrests."

The protest was organized by David Blair, who spoke about how the protesters were not defiant to the officers upon the arrests, and no one was hurt. "We complied with the officers," said Blair, who was not apprehended. "I think there are so many people that deserve to get arrested, not peaceful protesters."

Blair also stated that the group of marchers moved towards the shoulders of the expressway, and two police vans drove through the traffic, and more police officers emptied the vans to make the arrests.

The protesters were detained and brought to Baltimore's Northern District station, and were processed at the city's Central Booking. Blair also mentioned the demonstration was to assert that "black lives do have validation in this country," contributing to the Black Lives Matter movement. Other issues they marched for were to raise awareness for under-funding of schools and services in African-American and minority communities, as well as police using excessive force on African-Americans.

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