Cole Sprouse: Why was 'Riverdale' star arrested and 'zip-tied' during Black Lives Matter protest?
For those who grew up in 2000's Disney era, Cole Sprouse was close to an icon. The dashing 'Riverdale' star was the lead as Cody Martin in 'The Suite Life of Zack And Cody' and the spinoff series 'The Suite Life On Deck'. Following that, after numerous stints, he became Jughead in The CW show. The actor made waves for being outspoken, hitting back when trolled -- a far cry from what his Disney avatar was, once upon a time. To top it all, he even once got arrested and here's why.
In June 2020, Sprouse shared that he had been arrested after taking part in the Black Lives Matter protest at Santa Monica, California. He wrote, "A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica. So before the voracious horde of media sensationalism decides to somehow turn it about me, there’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter. Peace, riots, looting, are an absolutely legitimate form of protest. the media is by nature only going to show the most sensational, which only proves a long-standing racist agenda."
He added, "I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested. When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us. It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement. This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me, and I hope the media doesn’t make it such."
He also explained why this was the moment to stand together with the protesters as an ally and wrote, "This is, and will be, a time about standing ground near others as a situation escalates, providing educated support, demonstrating and doing the right thing. This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well. I noticed that there are cameras that roll within the police cruisers during the entirety of our detainment, hope it helps."
Sprouse had added that he will not speak of the incident any more because, "I’m (1) not well versed enough to do so, (2) not the subject of the movement, and (3) uninterested in drawing attention away from the leaders of the #BLM movement. I will be, again, posting the link in my story to a comprehensive document for donations and support."
'Riverdale' returns for Season 5 on January 20 at 8 pm.