Additional citations issued in protest that blocked traffic on I-25
Thirteen protesters have now been cited for their part in blocking Interstate 25 in downtown Colorado Springs during a Black Lives Matter demonstration on June 30, police said in Twitter.
About 8 p.m., around a dozen cars stopped in the middle of northbound I-25 near the Bijou Street exit. Protesters got out in the roadway holding signs and chanted, “No justice, no peace,” referencing the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a Black man who died after being pinned to the ground by a white police officer who kept his knee on neck while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Traffic was blocked for about half an hour.
Most of the protesters fled when authorities arrived, though police were initially able to track down four people who were blocking traffic with their cars.
The four protesters initially cited were identified by police as Shequan Smith, 27, Jordan Reece, 25, Charles Johnson III, 20, and Sierra Spencer, 31. They were issued tickets for obstructing a highway or other passageway, according to police. The names of the nine others cited have not been released.
Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski posted the following statement on social media the day after the protest:
”Last night, a small group of protesters blocked I-25, creating a public safety hazard. In order to best protect our community and our officers, we temporarily closed the highway and diverted traffic with the full intent of making arrests if necessary. I share in your frustration, as our freeways serve as a vital part of our community and are an unsafe environment for any kind of demonstration.
“We have to weigh all factors before taking action. At the time of the demonstration, patrol officers were responding to several priority one dispatch calls, to include a shooting, and we could not take away those resources that were out serving our community. We made the decision to deploy our Public Order Response Team (PORT) to disperse the demonstrators and make any arrests if necessary to reopen the highway. The team is made up of CSPD officers specially trained to handle public order events or incidents, both planned and unplanned. With the help of the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado State Patrol, a detour was set up to divert traffic around the blockade until PORT could respond. Before PORT arrived on scene, the demonstrators fled the area. Our department is currently investigating and attempting to identify and arrest those involved.
“Additionally, I want to make it clear that the Colorado Springs Police Department will not tolerate blocking of freeways, damaging our community, or putting lives in danger. The actions of the few last night were selfish, dangerous, and create more of a divide when our community is moving forward together.”
Protesters block Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs in June 2020.