Protesters Try Blocking Baton Rouge Interstate, but Police Aren"t Having It

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Editors Note:

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Dave Urbanski

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Officers stared down hundreds of shouting protesters near a ramp onto Interstate 110 in Louisianas capital Sunday night before another squad in riot gear arrived to make arrests.

Earlier Sunday, some 2,000 people rallied outside the Capitol building to protest police killings of black people, State Police Maj. Doug Cain said.

Police arrest protesters after dispersing crowds in a residential neighborhood in Baton Rouge, La. on Sunday, July 10, 2016. After an organized protest in downtown Baton Rouge protesters wondered into residential neighborhoods and toward a major highway that caused the police to respond by arresting protesters that refused to disperse. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)

They didnt have any problems out there. They seemed to be very organized and peaceful, Cain said.

But as night began to fall, a few hundred people aimed for an on-ramp, trying a tactic protesters were using this weekend in multiple cities.

And after a lengthy standoff, more police in full riot gear moved in, pinning some of the protesters as others fled. Some 30 to 40 people were jailed for trying to block a highway, sheriffs spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks said.

That could push Baton Rouges weekend arrest total above 160, with just one reported injury to a police officer.

Police arrest protesters after dispersing crowds in a residential neighborhood in Baton Rouge, La. on Sunday, July 10, 2016. After an organized protest in downtown Baton Rouge protesters wondered into residential neighborhoods and toward a major highway that caused the police to respond by arresting protesters that refused to disperse. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)

Gov. John Bel Edwards said hes very proud of the Louisiana law enforcement response to protests over the fatal shooting of a black man by white police officers in the city.

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Flanked by law enforcement leaders, Edwards said he doesnt believe officers have been overly aggressive by using riot gear to push protesters off a highway.

The police tactics in response have been very moderate. Im very proud of that, said the Democratic governor, who comes from a family of sheriffs.

Tensions between black citizens and police have risen palpably over the past week or so amid police shootings of African-American men in Minnesota and Louisiana and the gunning down of five white police officers by a black suspect in Dallas in apparent retaliation.

I remain disappointed in the Baton Rouge police, who continue to provoke protesters for peacefully protesting. Theres a lot of work to be done, with this police department specifically, said DeRay Mckesson, a prominent Black Lives Matter activist who embraced supporters Sunday after spending the night in jail.

The Baton Rouge police spokesman, Sgt. Don Coppola, blamed some violence and the large number of arrests on outside agitators. One officer lost teeth to a projectile thrown outside police headquarters, and police also confiscated three rifles, three shotguns and two pistols during that protest, he wrote in an email.

It appears the protest at Baton Rouge Police Headquarters have become more violent as out of town protesters are arriving, he said.

But most of those detained live in Louisiana and faced a single charge of obstructing a highway, sheriffs spokeswoman Hicks told The Associated Press.

The tumult reached well beyond Louisiana. In Minnesota, authorities said 21 law enforcement officers were hurt and about 100 people were arrested late Saturday and early Sunday during clashes in the state capital over the police killing of Philando Castile.

There was very little violence by comparison in Baton Rouge.

I can assure everyone we are hearing the protesters, the governor said. We are listening to their voices. But Im especially gratified that our citizens here in Louisiana, to a very large degree, have decided to protest in a constructive and peaceful manner.

Edwards said hundreds have marched around the city, with only one injury to an officer and mostly misdemeanor arrests. Protesting peacefully is the best way to honor those killed, he said, adding that authorities wont allow people to incite hate and violence.

I want to be clear that will not be tolerated. We dont operate like that in Louisiana, he said.

Police arrest protesters in a residential neighborhood in Baton Rouge, La. on Sunday, July 10, 2016. After an organized protest in downtown Baton Rouge protesters wondered into residential neighborhoods and toward a major highway that caused the police to respond by arresting protesters that refused to disperse. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)

The list of those arrested released by the sheriffs office included two homeless people, and 18 are from out of state, including Mckesson. The vast majority of the Louisiana residents were from the Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas.

Kira Marrero, 21, of New Orleans, also charged with obstructing a highway, said she did nothing of the sort. I have no doubt in my mind that I did nothing wrong, said Marrero, a 2015 graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts

A police affidavit of probable cause says Mckesson intentionally placed himself in the road after protesters were repeatedly warned by loudspeaker not to step off the curb.

During the protest, the defendant entered the roadway and was provided another verbal order to exit the lanes of travel. Moments later, the defendant entered the roadway again and was taken into custody by officers on scene without incident, the affidavit said.

Activist Brittany Packett, who was with Mckesson, wrote in an email that he was on the highway shoulder when multiple police crossed onto the shoulder, tackling Deray and arresting him.

Associated Press photos show police apprehending Mckesson and pulling him to his feet before leading him away with his hands secured behind his back.

Darren Bowers, 26, of Baton Rouge, said his girlfriend, 26-year-old Ariel Bates, called him from the jail early Sunday. She told me that they jumped all on her and her cousin on the grass. They werent on the street or anything, Bowers said.

He said he believes police are antagonizing protesters.

People are peacefully protesting. Why are (police) in riot gear? he said.

In Louisiana, Saturdays demonstration began at the convenience store where 37-year-old Alton Sterling was killed by police, then fanned out through the state Capitol.

Members of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense called for the arrest and indictment of the officers involved in Sterlings death, shouting Black Power and raising their fists. The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation.

These are human rights violations, Krystal Muhammad shouted to the crowd at the convenience store before heading over to the police department. They are not operating as human beings. They are being predators on our communities across America.

Source: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/07/11/protesters-try-blocking-baton-rouge-interstate-but-police-arent-having-it/