65 Arrested During Afromation Protest After Blocking Traffic
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- At least 65 protesters were taken into police custody on Saturday after blocking traffic of the I-83 near Charles Street, according to the Baltimore Police Department.
The protesters are part of a movement called Afromation. The group aims to rebuild relationships between police and the community. They set out to march with a list of demands.
Baltimore's celebration of arts and culture came to a halt Saturday as a group of protesters descended on Penn Station, some ending up in handcuffs. Click here to watch a video of the protest; the video does contain language.
"I'd say it had to be probably 40, 50 people. Probably more than that," said a protester named Brian.
David Blair was among them. He's with the group Afromation.
"They stand for the liberation of black people. They stand for black people; they stand for the solidation of black people," Blair said.
Blair tells WJZ the group set out in peaceful protest. They started off in Mount Royal and eventually ended up on I-83, blocking part of the Charles Street ramp.
Twitter users shared video and pictures of the protest. Below is a Periscope video from Afromation protesters, as well; there is some language in the video.
Afromation protesters shared these pictures with George Solis.
"We are not trying to be violent but when it comes to disrupting spaces that people find are safe spaces, we're willing to disrupt those so that people can hear our message," said Blair.
Afromation has a Facebook post with demands they have for police. They want a civilian review board for police investigations and a 10% reallocation of the police budget, which will go toward community education.
Despite the outcome, one protester tells WJZ they still agree with their actions.
"The fact that people are talking about it and the fact that people are serious, are seeing that we're serious right now---I would definitely say that it was worth it," Blair said.
Police say the protesters that blocked the road were arrested without incident. There were no reported injuries.
According to Baltimore Police, the protestors were warned multiple times about taking their demonstrations onto the highway.
As a result, 55 adults and 10 juveniles were arrested in the incident.
"Those with proper identification were transported to the District Station and/ or Central Booking Intake Facility where they will be issued criminal and traffic citations and released," police said in a news release.
Authorities say the protestors will be charged with failure to obey and illegally walking on a highway.
The group stresses this was meant to be a peaceful demonstration. They say they are planning to protest again.
