Nine Black Lives Matter protesters were arrested on Wednesday for staging a demonstration on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway in Inglewood, spray-painting slogans on the pavement and forcing a roughly 20-minute closure of the roadway on a busy holiday-getaway travel day.
The protest began at 1:27 p.m. on the southbound 405 Freeway near Manchester Boulevard, said Sgt. Paul Peterson of the West Los Angeles California Highway Patrol Office.
“They painted names, words and slogans including ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the surface of all five lanes of pavement,” Peterson said. They used several colors of spray paint.
The graffiti also included the word “Ezell,” a reference to Ezell Ford, who was killed in a Los Angeles police officer-involved shooting.
Nine protesters — four women, three men and two boys — were arrested and will be booked on suspicion of felony vandalism and conspiracy, he said. No injuries were reported. The juveniles were expected to be booked and released to their parents, Peterson said.
The protest was held on the same day as a demonstration in Minnesota, where hundreds of members of Black Lives Matter gathered first at the Mall of America then moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The protest briefly blocked access to a terminal at the airport, and 15 people were arrested.
