Cole Sprouse zip-tied and arrested with BLM protesters, calls looting ‘absolutely legitimate form of protest’
Cole Sprouse shared on Monday afternoon that he was detained by cops after taking part in the Black Lives Matter protest over the weekend at Santa Monica, California. He joins other celebrities such as Jamie Foxx, Ariana Grande, and Halsey, all of whom took part in protests across the country. Halsey had also slammed cops for hitting her with rubber bullets at the protest site. Sprouse said he decided to share about the entire incident so that things do not get twisted and become about him, instead of the protest.
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."
After which 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 explained why this was the moment to stand together with the protestors 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 also said 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."
The death of George Floyd, a black man from Minnesota caused by a white cop was what incited individuals across the country to come together and protest police brutality, racism, and oppression through the Black Lives Matter movement.