Update: DeRay McKesson released from jail after Baton Rouge arrest
Alton Sterling & Philando Castile protesters and police clashed nationwide.
Activist DeRay McKesson was released on bond Sunday (July 10) after being arrested along with 100 other demonstrators at a protest Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. McKesson told The Washington Post his arrest was unlawful and said, “The protesters were peaceful last night; the police were not.’’
The demonstrators were arrested Saturday night (July 9) after tensions boiled over between protesters and police in the wake of the Alton Sterling killing. Protests against police also occurred in St. Paul, Minnesota in support of Philando Castile, who was shot dead by a police officer during a routine traffic stop. McKesson, a prominent voice associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, was taken into custody by police in Louisiana.
A number of media outlets reported that no clear reason for arrest has been given, although a CNN anchor tweeted that McKesson is being charged with “simple obstruction of a highway.”
The arrests happened around 11:00 ET after McKesson and other activists were dispatching messages from Baton Rouge in real-time over social media.
In a series of tweets, McKesson noted that police were aggressive and provoking demonstrators. In a note foreshadowing events, the Baltimore native suggested if “anything happens tonight, it was caused by the police. Everybody has been peaceful tonight but them.”
Reports throughout the media indicate that arrests also took place in New York, Chicago and other cities, in addition to Baton Rouge and St. Paul.
Below is a video of protests in Atlanta and New York.