World News – US – Hundreds arrested as protesters march on I-94

Hundreds of protesters were arrested on Wednesday night shortly after marching on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis, protesting among other things against Donald Trump’s presidency and his threat to challenge the unresolved election results Tuesday

The march, which started at Cedar and Riverside avenues and passed through the city center, was organized by Twin Cities for Justice 4 Jamar in coordination with the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Regression This group quickly merged with a second protest endorsed by 30 organizations whose agendas ranged from anti-police fervor to a call to action on climate change

Organizers said the event was planned even before Tuesday’s presidential election, the outcome of which remained uncertain on Wednesday night as postal ballots were still counted in several states

At approximately 7:45 pm, protesters marched on Interstate 94 from Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis police said in a tweet Officers closed the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-94 and demanded motorists to avoid the area Traffic has been saved and blocked in both directions

Minneapolis police and state patrol soldiers surrounded and arrested protesters on the freeway on suspicion of trespassing and illegal assemblyThey were ordered to sit peacefully on the sidewalk and wait for the arrest process

Those arrested included well-known activists Nekima Levy Pounds, Monique Cullars-Doty and Noah McCourt Several journalists and photographers were also among those awaiting treatment by the police.

Soldiers and police made exceptions for several people, including parents with children, some of whom were allowed to leave before being prosecuted for arrest

« We have a racist in power Which side are you on? » Levy Pounds told the crowd at the protest leading up to the freeway entry « Are you on the side of oppression or on the side of justice? I’m tired of the relatives of those killed by the police who come to these gatherings « 

Other speakers have said Biden cannot trust Biden to champion causes dear to the protesters’ hearts and that even if he wins the election, the protests will likely continue

David Chanen is a journalist covering the Hennepin County government and Prince’s real estate transactions. He previously covered crime, the courts and spent two sessions in the Legislature

Demonstration, Minneapolis, Interstate 94