41 Arrested After Shutting Down I-35W in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN — State troopers arrested 41 protesters who blocked traffic on all southbound lanes of Interstate 35W at University Avenue in Minneapolis during rush hour Wednesday morning.

It was the second time a major Minnesota interstate was blocked by protesters since last week’s fatal police shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights.

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A Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic camera began showing protesters holding hands and blocking traffic on the I-35W bridge at about 7:50 a.m.

Protesters yelled several chants, including "The whole damn system is guilty as hell," and "No justice, no peace, prosecute the police."

Independent media outlet Unicorn Riot live streamed and recorded the incident from start to finish.

Additional squad cars to the north and south of the protesters arrived and sealed off the lanes.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Vehicles backed up all the way to County Rd. C in Roseville from protest along 35W SB at University pic.twitter.com/Rp1oMLhFpG
— Alicia Lewis (@alicialewisKARE) July 13, 2016

Two Metro Transit buses arrived to pick up arrested protesters, and flatbed trucks came to tow away the protesters’ vehicles that were parked on the highway.

The interstate reopened shortly before 9:30 a.m.

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis issued a statement Wednesday morning that said “a coalition of white people and non-Black people of color" worked to "shut down the Interstate 35W bridge in solidarity with the movement for Black lives, condemning the ongoing killings of Black people by police in the Twin Cities and across the country."

Traffic camera images courtesy of MNDOT