Cole Sprouse said he was arrested for peacefully protesting

Olivia Harvey
·3 min read

Yesterday, June 1st, Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse uploaded a post to Instagram showing his support for the Black Lives Matter movement in light of the tragic killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Sprouse told his followers that he and his fellow protesters were arrested in Santa Monica on May 31st, and though he is the one with the platform who can share this story with the masses, Sprouse wanted to make clear that this story is not truly his to share.

“A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica,” Sprouse began his caption. “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.”

He explained that he and his fellow protesters were “given the option to leave, and were informed that if [they] did not retreat, [they] would be arrested,” the actor wrote. “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,” Sprouse continued.

View this post on Instagram

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

Sprouse again noted that, though he was arrested, this entire narrative isn’t about him. “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.”

In his Instagram Stories, Sprouse linked to a document called “Resources for Accountability and Action for Black Lives,” which lists how people can get involved in the fight for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, David McAtee, and other Black Americans who have been victim to police brutality and a broken criminal justice system.

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