Ferguson Protesters Shut Down D.C. Highway

One week after a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the protests power on with little sign of stopping. The nation's capital saw some intense demonstrations this weekend, when Ferguson protesters closed a Washington, D.C. highway on Sunday. The demonstrators weren't giving up the fight Monday morning, reportedly blocking traffic on several streets in downtown Washington.

In solidarity with the residents of Ferguson, Missouri, the protesters stood near the 3rd Street Tunnel on Interstate-395 on Sunday, holding hands and refusing to move. According to the Associated Press, I-395, a major highway that runs through the nation's capital, had to be closed for about an hour while police arrived at the scene to reroute traffic. Authorities also arrested a group of protesters, but in the end, the stand-off ended peacefully.

One woman who was stuck in traffic on the highway told The Washington Post:

They [the protesters] were in a straight line across the highway. People were getting out of their cars to talk to them, but they weren’t moving.

The highway closure came just a day after protesters blocked traffic on several streets in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. The AP reported that Saturday's protests were also non-violent.

But on Monday, the Ferguson D.C. protesters were at it again, this time disrupting rush-hour traffic. NBC 4 in Washington reported that a group of protesters successfully blocked traffic at the 14th Street Bridge at D Street NW in downtown Monday morning. There, the protesters staged what is known as a "die-in," laying still on the pavement with signs reading, "Not One More," "Shut It Down" and "Black Lives Matter" placed on top of their bodies.

The protesters then moved further downtown, ending their demonstration around Chinatown. However, more Ferguson protests are expected Monday afternoon in the Washington, D.C. area, including a possible walk-out.

In the wake of the week-long protests against the St. Louis County grand jury's decision not to indict Wilson, President Obama is holding a meeting Monday afternoon with young local and national civil rights leaders, according to the White House. At the meeting, which is closed to the press, Obama will discuss "the mistrust between law enforcement and communities of color," the White House said in a statement.

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