Radical protesters disrupted events in Atlanta and St. Louis celebrating the life and legacy of civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr.
In Atlanta, a downtown MLK Day parade was blocked by protesters. In raw video captured by local news station WSBTV, a protest leader can be heard yelling. “We will not allow those that actively subject us to an oppressive lifestyle to lead the parade or be in the parade!”
At least one tweet confirms the protesters marched under the banner reading “Black Lives Matter,” a popular Twitter hashtag demonstrating solidarity with black men killed by police officers.
Sitin to #ReclaimMLK at #MLKDay March #ATL. #ShutItDownATL #BlackLivesMatter #whichsideareyouon pic.twitter.com/7gTwqmesdJ
— Jim Chambers (@jccfergie) January 19, 2015
A similar disruption occurred in St. Louis, where protesters first blocked a planned march and forced marchers to take an alternate route, and then disrupted an interfaith prayer event held at Harris-Stowe State University.
Local news station KSDK snapped a few photos of the protesters, which include slogans such as “No justice, no peace” and “Black Lives Matter.” Some protesters marched with upside-down American flags, and at least one held a sign celebrating the riots.
According to The Washington Post, Michael Brown’s mother even shot down the protesters, who interrupted a song with chants of “shut s*** down” and drumming. “Ain’t nobody more madder than me,” she yelled to applause. “But right now it’s too much disrespect. You’re disrespecting Martin Luther King first.”