Hundreds of #BlackLivesMatter activists took to I-94 W in Minneapolis on Monday night to protest the fatal police shooting of Jamar Clark, the 24-year-old black man who was shot by police on Sunday and eventually died after being taken off life support. Though witnesses have said that Clark was handcuffed and unarmed when he was shot by police, local authorities have yet to release any definitive information on the incident. To protest Clark’s death, and the deaths of countless others at the hands of police brutality, activists took to the streets around 6:45 p.m. on Monday, according to WCCO.
51 activists were ultimately arrested during the two-hour protest, before being placed onto Metro Transit buses. 43 adults and eight juveniles are said to be among those arrested, though Tuesday morning brought the revelation that police also arrested at least one TV reporter. "Like all the other journalists on the side of I-94 Monday night, I was there for one reason: to do my job," Fox 9 reporter Jack Highberger wrote in a Facebook post. "I have no intention of stopping." Highberger also shared video of the incident, showing officers approaching him during a broadcast before promptly arresting him:
Both the mayor of Minneapolis and the chief of police have requested that the Department of Justice conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting of Jamar Clark to find any potential civil rights violations. "I appreciate and welcome all avenues and resources that help us find the truth so we can be clear on exactly what happened," police chief Janee Harteau tells reporters. "I’ve asked for this because we need all the tools we have available to us," Mayor Betsy Hodges adds. "I have spoken to Governor Dayton who agrees."
As of this week, the Guardian's ongoing #TheCounted project has tallied 1000 police killings in 2015:
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