Activist Cornell West arrested during Ferguson rally
Activist Cornell West arrested during Ferguson rally
Prominent civil activist Cornel West has been arrested in Ferguson, Missouri as more than 1,000 people march through the city to rally against police violence.
The Princeton University philosopher and author was hauled away in handcuffs as protesters called for the arrest of a white police officer who shot dead unarmed teen Michael Brown in August.
He was one of at least 50 detained by officers at the demonstrations which went on late into the night.
Ahead of his arrest, West told a crowd at Saint Louis University on Monday: ‘It’s a beautiful thing to see people on fire for justice but I didn’t come here to give a speech. I came here to go to jail.’
He added that he wanted to help the black youth get their voices heard.
‘The larger system has been victimizing and coming at them,’ he said.
West joined hundreds of protesters taking part in the ‘Ferguson October’ rally. The Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, a Boston-based minister and activist, was also arrested, MSNBC reported.
The protesters are calling for the arrest of a white police officer, Darren Wilson, who killed Brown. Last week, another black teenager, Vonderrit Myers Jr., also died at the hands of a white police officer – further inflaming tensions.
