Black Lives Matter protesters arrested after shutting down Minneapolis highway

Police arrested 51 Black Lives Matter supporters during a protest that shut down a highway Minnesota for over two hours. The demonstration came as Jamar Clark, a black Minneapolis man shot by police, died after being taken off life support.

Starting at 6:45 p.m. local time on Monday, hundreds of protesters gathered on Interstate 94 to block traffic to protest the death of an unarmed black man at the hands of Minneapolis police.

“We’re shutting it down, we’re shutting it down,” one protester said, according WCCO. “Don’t talk to white media,” another behind him said.

The highway demonstrations followed a day of protests at a Minneapolis Police Department precinct headquarters.

Protesters had stopped traffic for almost two and a half hours before police have them a 15 minute warning, calling the assembly unlawful. A half an hour later, 43 adults and eight juveniles were arrested.

The shooting of 24-year-old Clark happened early Sunday morning, and immediately prompted the outrage of some community members. Police arrived on the scene responding to reports of a man, later identified as Clark, engaging in a domestic assault.

READ MORE:  #Justice4Jamar: White Minnesota officer shot ‘handcuffed’ black man in head, witnesses say

Protesters have claimed that Clark was unarmed and handcuffed when he was shot. Police, however, said that he was not handcuffed and was involved in a struggle during his arrest, and interfering with emergency responders who were treating his girlfriend.

Clark’s record shows he has previous convictions for armed robbery and domestic abuse.

Black Lives Matter activists held a press conference at 9 a.m. on Monday, demanding that the video of the arrest be released, as well as the names of the officers involved. They also called for city officials to ask for an independent federal investigation of the incident.

The chief of police and the mayor of Minneapolis are also asking for the Department of Justice to investigate any civil rights violations that may have occurred during the attempted arrest.