Cole Sprouse arrested during Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica

Cole Sprouse was arrested while protesting racial injustice in Santa Monica, California following the death of George Floyd.

The "Riverdale" actor recounted his experience in an Instagram post, saying that he was arrested along with a group of "peaceful protesters" even though many of them were already planning to leave following threats of arrest.

 

 

 

 

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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. 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. 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. I’ll speak no more on the subject, as 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.

A post shared by Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse) on

Jun 1, 2020 at 1:14pm PDT

"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," he wrote.

"When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us," he added.

He said he's speaking up about the incident to avoid media sensationalism, and stressed that the narrative is "absolutely not" about him.

"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," he said.

Sprouse said that this is the time to "contemplate what it means to stand as an ally."

"I hope others in my position do as well," he said.

Protests erupted across the United States to decry the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis cop kneeled on his neck for about eight minutes.

—JCB, GMA News