Police arrest protesters
A dozen protesters were arrested following a March on Washington event after officials say they blocked the roadway near Phoenix police headquarters.
A dozen protesters were arrested on Friday night following the March on Washington event after police say they blocked the roadway outside of Phoenix Police Department headquarters in downtown Phoenix.
The arrests were made shortly after a demonstration organized on the anniversary of the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963.
The initial event was peaceful with roughly 150 people gathered in front of Phoenix City Hall before marching through the streets downtown. Some of the demonstrators split off and marched toward Phoenix police headquarters, Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Ann Justus said in a statement on Saturday.
The protesters then laid down in the street some time after and some refused to move. Justus noted that the roadway had to be shut down “for the safety of the demonstrators and other community members.”
“The individuals were given multiple orders and time to get out of the roadway and stop blocking it, but they ignored the lawful order,” Justus said.
Twelve people ranging in age from 19 to 52 were arrested on suspicion of obstructing a thoroughfare. At least two were also arrested on prior charges related to previous protests.
W.E. Rising Project, who organized the demonstration, told The Arizona Republic that the dozen arrested were not affiliated with the official demonstration and the arrests occurred after the event ended.