DES MOINES, Iowa - Demonstrators were arrested late Monday night in downtown Des Moines after Black Lives Matter protesters were met earlier by police in riot gear on Merle Hay Road. The group had marched and blocked traffic for a couple of hours .
The protesters on Merle Hay Road chanted "Hands up, Don't Shoot", among other things while marching north toward I-80/35. The were met by a roughly 50 of law enforcement officers from the Iowa State Patrol, Des Moines and Urbandale Police and the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
A stand-off ended without any physical confrontation, and the marchers dispersed after a second dispersal order from police.
Marchers then regrouped at Skateland, where they'd gathered earlier with Iowa Freedom Riders for a "statewide action" event. There, some protesters decided to go home while others decide to regroup in downtown Des Moines.
In downtown, some protesters were arrested shortly before 11 pm after being told by police to disperse. Some marchers complained that police had boxed them in, preventing them from dispersing.
A post on the Des Moines Black Lives Matter Twitter feed shortly after midnight said, "Everybody that got footage of DMPD using illegal war tactics tonight, post the proof on every platform."
The Des Moines Register reports police made 20 arrests Monday night and used pepper spray on some protesters.
(Image from Des Moines Black Lives Matter Instagram page)