Cole Sprouse details his arrest after peacefully protesting

Cole Sprouse is one of the many celebrities who took to the streets to show his support for the Black Lives Matter movement this past weekend and quickly found himself under arrest. In a lengthy Instagram post published on Monday, the Riverdale actor shared a Black Lives Matter image and chronicled his arrest, making it clear throughout his post that his intention in sharing his experience was to bring light to the situation unfolding and not to pull the spotlight away from the BLM movement in any way.Sprouse said that he was marching with a group of peaceful protesters in Santa Monica on Sunday when he and his fellow protesters were arrested. The actor said that he wanted to describe the event in his own words “…before the voracious horde of media sensationalism decides to somehow turn it about me,” adding “…there’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter. Peace, riots, looting, are an absolutely legitimate form of protest.”[video_embed id='1969019']RELATED: Michael B. Jordan, Halsey, Jamie Foxx attend Black Lives Matter protests[/video_embed]Noting that “the media is by nature only going to show the most sensational, which only proves a long standing racist agenda,” Sprouse said he was detained while standing in solidarity with his fellow protesters. “We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested,” writes Sprouse. “When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us.”

 

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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

Sprouse acknowledged his privilege and was clear that the consequences of his arrest were much different from his fellow protesters. “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. “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.” Sprouse said that he noticed while sitting in the police cruiser that a camera was running, adding that he hopes footage obtained during arrests will help clear others who are detained for peacefully protesting.Sprouse included a link to Black Lives Matter resources, including information on how to donate money for protesters who are unable to pay their cash bail, a system that is practiced in the U.S and seeks to keep low income people and often people of colour in the prison system. “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,” wrote Sprouse at the end of his post.Several celebrities, including Nick Cannon, Jamie Foxx, John Cusack, Timothée Chalamet, Emily Ratajkowski, Chelsea Handler, Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Halsey, Matt McGory, Kendrick Sampson, also attended protests this past weekend in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.[video_embed id='1969678']RELATED: Obama pens essay on how to bring about real change[/video_embed]