A prominent civil rights activist and Black Lives Matter leader was released from a Baton Rouge, La., jail on Sunday afternoon, hours after he and more than 100 others spent a night in jail following their arrests while protesting the shooting death of a black man by police.
Deray Mckesson was released on bond Sunday afternoon, the Associated Press reported.
He said he planned to return to the protests Sunday night, telling The New York Times, "The police want protesters to be too afraid to protest."
He said he was "confident that that the arrest was unlawful."
Mckesson, who turned 31 on Saturday, had traveled to Louisiana from his native Baltimore to join the protest on behalf of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man who was shot and killed outside of a convenience store by two white police officers. Video of the shooting, which took place in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, was posted online and set off angry protests.
Mckesson was among those taken into custody Saturday night while walking along the shoulder of a major road and live streaming the protest on Periscope, including his arrest.
On the video, Mckesson can be heard talking with fellow protesters and describing what he said was provocative police behavior against protesters.
"The police in Baton Rouge have been truly awful tonight," Mckesson said on the video. "They have provoked people, they chase people just for kicks. The police have been violent tonight. The protesters have not."
Moments later, someone shouts, "This is the police, you're under arrest! Don't fight me! Don't fight me!"
McKesson responds: "I'm under arrest, y'all!" before the camera is knocked to the ground.
AP reported that Mckesson was taken into custody after a police officer approached him and said, "you with the loud shoes — if you step back into the street you'll be arrested."
Booking documents provided by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office say Mckesson was arrested on a charge of obstructing a highway. An affidavit of probable cause filed by police says Mckesson "intentionally" placed himself in the road after protesters were repeatedly warned via police loud speaker to remain on private property or the curb.
"During the protest, the defendant entered the roadway and was provided another verbal order to exit the lanes of travel. Moments later, the defendant entered the roadway again and was taken into custody by officers on scene without incident," the affidavit said.
Police issued a statement saying the protest grew violent "as out of town protesters are arriving." The statement said one police officer had several teeth knocked out when he was hit by a thrown object and that eight guns were confiscated.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday that the protests had been mostly peaceful and that "very, very few" protesters had "engaged in anything that was unlawful. Those that did, it was relatively minor misdemeanor offenses such as obstructing a roadway. The police tactics, in response, have been very moderate. I’m very proud of that, as well.”
Without mentioning Mckesson by name, he said of the protesters, "If orders are made not to obstruct a roadway and you step out into the road, that is cause for arrest — period. That is just as much for the safety of yourself as it is for the motorists and for the law enforcement officers, as well as other protesters in the area.”
Amnesty International USA said its members witnessed several arrests. Jamira Burley, the group's campaign manager for gun violence and criminal justice reform, issued a statement saying the "sheer number of arrests last night raises serious questions about proportionate response to peaceful protests."
At the time of his arrest, Mckesson said he wasn't blocking traffic but walking along the shoulder with the others because there was no sidewalk. He captured the white line of the shoulder with his smartphone to show he wasn't in the middle of the street.
The protests lasted well into the evening but died down a little after midnight. Police in riot gear came out on and off times throughout the night, facing off against the crowd that chanted and waved signs.
Word of Mckesson's arrest spread fast on social media with many Twitter users criticizing the arrest captured on video. The hashtag #freederay started trending overnight.
Mckesson's activism has thrust him to the forefront of the Black Lives Matters movement and his social media presence is huge, with his twitter handle @deray counting more than 450,000 followers.
He was one of the Black Lives Matter activists and civil rights leaders who met with President Obama at the White House.
Contributing: John Bacon, Greg Toppo, USA TODAY.
