Thousands of protesters brought traffic to a stand-still in Atlanta on Friday [July 8], with a march that began as a rally at the Center for Civil and Human Rights near Centennial Olympic Park, and ended with a standoff with police. The demonstration, which was organized by Black Lives Matter and the local chapter of the NAACP culminated in jubilation, with the participation of stars T.I. and 2 Chainz trending on social media as scores of frustrated drivers none the less honked their horns in support.
"No justice, No peace. No racist police," demonstrators can be heard chanting behind the rapper as he documented his presence at the function. Earlier video shows Tip arriving to cheers as the crowd convened to move on to the CNN studios before continuing to complete their act of civil disobedience at Interstate 75 and northbound Interstate-85. Atlanta Street Car service was suspended as the group incrementally moved in and occupied the pavement, effectively blocking off traffic. While there were no reports of arrests, tensions were high as Mayor Kasim Reed tweeted his disapproval of the action, warning that the group was endangering their lives as they amassed before a front of officers in riot gear. The march began to dissipate at 8 p.m., with some protesters remaining until the later hours.
The protest was one of dozens held nationally, following the horrific deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police fire in Louisiana and Minnesota, respectively. The appearance of rappers at rallies has proven commonplace over the past two days, with Nick Cannon leading a cadre of Black Lives Matters protesters in New York City on Thursday, and Snoop Dogg organizing a demonstration in Los Angeles on Friday morning.
Source: instagram.com
