Cole Sprouse says he was arrested while protesting at a Black Lives Matter demonstration

• "Riverdale" actor Cole Sprouse says he was arrested on Sunday afternoon during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Santa Monica, California.
• "We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested," Sprouse wrote in an Instagram post. "When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us."
• Sprouse is one of many celebrities who have shared stories of their experiences at the protests in the Los Angeles area.
• In his Instagram post, Sprouse emphasized that he didn't wish to be the central figure in a story about the Black Lives Matter movement.
• "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 said.

"Riverdale" actor Cole Sprouse says he was arrested by the Santa Monica Police department on Sunday during a protest against police brutality led by the Black Lives Matter movement.

"A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica," Sprouse wrote in the caption of an Instagram post on Monday afternoon.

"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," Sprouse's caption continued. "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."

The protest Sprouse attended in Santa Monica was one of many gatherings in the Los Angeles area that has happened in the week since the death of George Floyd.

Floyd died after Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on his neck for about eight minutes. An independent autopsy found that Floyd's cause of death was "asphyxia due to compression of the neck and back." Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Video footage of the incident made global news, and revived a series of Black Lives Matter demonstrations and protests around the world.

The Santa Monica Police Department tweeted on Sunday afternoon, stating that "hundreds" of arrests had been made. A photo of people sitting with their hands behind their backs accompanied the statement on Twitter.

—Santa Monica Police (@SantaMonicaPD) June 1, 2020

Insider contacted the Santa Monica Police Department's public information officer to verify Sprouse's arrest, but did not hear back at the time of this post.

Sprouse is one of many high-profile celebrities who attended the Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations in Los Angeles and Santa Monica over the weekend. Pop stars Ariana Grande and Halsey have also shared videos and photos from the marches, along with many others.

"Insecure" actor Kendrick Sampson was struck by rubber bullets fired by police officers on Saturday, and actor John Cusack said Chicago police attacked his bike with batons while he was at a protest.

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

In Sprouse's Instagram post, the actor said he was among "the final vanguard" in Santa Monica.

"We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested," he 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. "This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me, and I hope the media doesn't make it such."

The actor directed his 32.3 million followers to a link in his Instagram story, which leads to a Google Doc titled Resources for Accountability and Actions for Black Lives.

Below is Sprouse's full caption from 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."

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