‘Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse Arrested During Black Lives Matter Protest

Cole Sprouse revealed on Instagram today that he was arrested after protesting peacefully, making a point in his post that he was using his platform to speak out about Black Lives Matter, not his own involvement in the movement. The Riverdale actor joined a group in Santa Monica yesterday to protest police brutality following the death of George Floyd, and was detained by officers who told the group to leave the area.

Sprouse explained that the group was directed to retreat, but when some did try and leave, they found officers behind them, blocking the route. He was adamant that by sharing the story of his arrest, he was not intending to draw attention to his presence at the protest. “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,” Sprouse wrote.

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A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica. 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. 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. 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. This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well. I noticed that there are cameras that roll within the police cruisers during the entirety of our detainment, hope it helps. I’ll speak no more on the subject, as I’m (1) not well versed enough to do so, (2) not the subject of the movement, and (3) uninterested in drawing attention away from the leaders of the #BLM movement. I will be, again, posting the link in my story to a comprehensive document for donations and support.

A post shared by Cole Sprouse (@colesprouse) on Jun 1, 2020 at 1:14pm PDT

“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,” he continued. “This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me, and I hope the media doesn’t make it such.”

In a call to his followers to stand up and be allies, Sprouse urged everyone to “do the right thing.” “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,” he wrote. “This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well.”

Sprouse concluded his post by writing that he would not say anything more in an effort to keep the focus on the leaders of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Instead, he added links for “donations and support” in his Instagram story as resources for his followers, sharing the document “Resources for Accountability and Actions for Black Lives,” which includes links to petitions, contact information and groups accepting donations.