Riverdale star Cole Sprouse was arrested at a Black Lives Matters protest this past Sunday.
"A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica," he wrote on Instagram. "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."
Sprouse went on to explain the events that led to his arrest. "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."
He then deflected attention away from his own arrest, asking people to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and the larger messages of the protests. "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."
Sprouse also noted that he would post links in his story where people could donate to the cause. "This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well," he said.
The protests started as a response to the death of a George Floyd at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. It is the latest killing of an African America man by a white police officer. The officer has since been fired, arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Over the weekend, protests erupted across the country, including Minnesota, New York, California, New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Washington and Michigan. They have even spread across the globe, with demonstrations being held in London, Berlin and Toronto.
Many state governments have dispatched the national guard to try and keep the protests under control. While many of the protests have remained peaceful, some have fractured into violence and looting.