Police make arrests after protests block St. Louis highway

Published October 03, 2017

Authorities arrested several people Tuesday night after a group of protesters blocked a section of traffic on Interstate 64 in St. Louis.

Many demonstrators were taken into custody after they got off the interstate and began marching down another street, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported . The exact number of arrests was not immediately available.

The newspaper said protesters chanted phrases such as "We don't see a riot here. Why are you in riot gear?" and, "Touch one, touch all" before officers ordered them to the ground and started handcuffing them.

State Rep. Bruce Franks of St. Louis said on his Twitter page that he was getting "locked up!"

On its Twitter page, the St. Louis Police Department said protesters drove their vehicles onto I-64 and that some people got out and began to march.

Demonstrations have been happening since mid-September, when a judge acquitted white former police officer Jason Stockley in the 2011 shooting death of black drug suspect Anthony Lamar Smith.

City Alderwoman Megan Green filed a proposal this week that would limit the way police respond to protests. Police have drawn criticism for using chemical agents and dispersing crowds.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, which helped draft the proposal, said it limits when officers can use tear gas and pepper spray as a tactic to get people to leave a demonstration.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-make-arrests-after-protests-block-st-louis-highway