AKRON, Ohio – Akron police arrested a Black Lives Matter protest organizer from a grocery store Saturday.
Dirshawn Mansfield, 29, was released from the Summit County Jail approximately an hour after his arrest. He is charged with three misdemeanors: criminal trespass, obstruction of official business, and disorderly conduct.
He is scheduled to be processed on Monday in the Akron Municipal Court.
Mansfield said in a video he posted on Facebook before his arrest that he organized the protest at Marc’s grocery store on East Waterloo Road, near Glenmount Avenue, after store managers refused to allow an employee to use a mask that said “Black Lives Matter” on it.
Neither Mansfield nor Marc immediately responded to messages seeking comment.
A group of about 20 protesters gathered in front of the grocery store around noon, according to Akron police spokesman Lt. Michael Miller.
Miller said officers told protesters they were unable to protest on private property and directed the group to various locations where they could protest. Miller said officers waited for a while for protesters to move to a different area, but did not.
Officers went to arrest Mansfield, who ran several blocks before officers caught up with him, Miller said. After the arrest, the protesters left. No one else was arrested, Miller said.
The protesters then went to the Summit County Jail and protested until Mansfield was released, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
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