Cornel West Arrested as Protests Continue in Ferguson

Author, activist and academic Cornel West was arrested Monday in Ferguson, Mo., amid continued demonstrations demanding justice for Mike Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was killed by a white police officer on Aug. 9.

Boston-based minister, activist and author the Rev. Osagyefo Sekou was also arrested, MSNBC reports. Earlier in the day, more than 1,000 protestors took part in a sit-in at the campus of St. Louis University.

The events occurred during a “weekend of resistance,” organized to protest “the epidemic of police violence facing Black and Brown communities.” Earlier this month, another black teenager in the St. Louis area named Vonderrit Myers, Jr. was killed by a white police officer.

Although there were more than a dozen arrests over the weekend, as well as accusations that police used excessive force, overall the protests were mostly peaceful compared to the ones that gained national attention in August, where tear gas was used on citizens and many more arrests, including of members of the media, occurred.

[MSNBC]

See Ferguson's 'Weekend of Resistance'

Demonstrators participate at a rally on the campus of St. Louis University on Oct. 13, 2014. Citizens around St. Louis continued to demonstrate throughout October, including during a performance by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and at a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Demonstrators march through the streets of St. Louis on Oct. 13, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Police stand guard as demonstrators march through the streets of St. Louis on Oct. 13, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

A protester poses for a photo after while protesting at the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Mo. on Oct. 12, 2014.

Sait Serkan Gurbuz—Corbis

Protesters drop a mirrored casket in front of a line of police officers in front of the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Mo. on Oct. 10, 2014.

Robert Cohen—St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Zuma Press

A protester yells at a Missouri State Police officer during a protest at the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Mo. on Oct. 10, 2014.

Charles Rex Arbogast—AP

Protesters arrive at the Ferguson Police Department for a rally in Ferguson, Mo. on Oct. 11, 2014.

Charles Rex Arbogast—AP

A protester marches through the streets during a demonstration in Clayton, Mo. on Oct. 10, 2014.

Jim Young—Reuters

Nine-year-old Bill Jackson joins demonstrators in St. Louis on Oct. 11, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Demonstrators listen to speakers during a rally on the campus of St. Louis University in St. Louis on Oct. 13, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Police arrest demonstrators protesting the killings of 18-year-olds Michael Brown and Vonderrit Myers Jr. in St. Louis on Oct. 12, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Michael Brown and Vonderrit Myers Jr. kneel as they face police officers in riot gear in St. Louis on Oct. 12, 2014.

Joshua Lott—AFP/Getty Images

A demonstrator gets help after being maced by police in St. Louis on Oct. 12, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Protesters hold hands and demonstrate across the street from the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Mo. on Oct. 10, 2014.

Jim Young—Reuters

Police officers in riot gear hold a line as they watch demonstrators protest in St. Louis on Oct. 12, 2014.

Joshua Lott—AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators hold a candlelight vigil in memory of Michael Brown and other young minorities killed by gunfire, in Ferguson, Mo. on Oct. 10, 2014.

Scott Olson—Getty Images

1 of 16

Advertisement

Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com.