Protesters block roads in US cities, arrested

Undeterred by heightened concerns about safety at protests after a lone gunman killed five police officers in Dallas Thursday night, organizers went ahead with marches in the biggest metropolis, New York City, and Washington DC, the nation’s capital, among other cities. It was the third straight day of protests after the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling, 37, by police in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and the death of Philando Castile, 32, on Wednesday in a St Paul, Minnesota suburb, cities which both saw heated protests on Saturday. 

The most recent shooting deaths by police come after several years of contentious killings by law enforcement officers, including that of Michael Brown, a teenager whose death in the summer of 2014 caused riots and weeks of protests in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson. On Saturday evening, hundreds of protesters shut down I-94, a major thoroughfare linking the Twin Cities, snarling traffic. 

Protesters, told to disperse, threw rocks, bottles and construction rebar at officers, injuring at least three, St Paul police said. Police made arrests and used smoke bombs and marking rounds to disperse the crowd. 

Protesters at the scene said police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Police said they had begun clearing the highway of debris in preparation for re-opening it. A march in Baton Rouge saw scuffles between riot police and Black Panther activists, several whom carried shotguns. Louisiana law allows for weapons to be carried openly. After a short standoff later in the evening, riot police arrested as many as 30 demonstrators.