Cole Sprouse Rejoins Black Lives Matter Protest After Being Arrested

By Paris Close

June 8, 2020

Cole Sprouse reunited with Black Lives Matter protesters this weekend.

After being arrested while protesting the fatal arrest of George Floyd, the Riverdale actor made his way back to the streets to ally with the Black community to demand justice. Sprouse was pictured at Sunday’s (June 7) Black Lives Matter gathering in Los Angeles, and he wasn’t alone, either. Per images published by JustJared, the 27-year-old had plenty of support from famous friends like Kaia Gerber, Riverdale co-star Madelaine Petsch, Eiza Gonzalez, and Margaret Qualley.

As previously reported a week ago, Sprouse revealed he was detained while peacefully protesting in Santa Monica, California, on May 31. "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 star wrote on Instagram at the time. “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,” he revealed. “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."

In addition to using his platform to spread awareness, Sprouse also shared a document of resources for others to use in order to support the cause.

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

Photo: Getty Images