A mass of people protesting racism and police brutality closed part of a Philadelphia highway on Sunday.
City officials closed off part of Interstate 676 when crowds invaded the highway, demanding the resignation of Mayor Jim Kenney over tear gas from protesters in the City of Brotherly Love last month, according to local reports.
“Traffic Alert: Due to protest activity, I-676 is closed between I-76 and I-95,” the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management tweeted around 2:00 p.m.
The closure was lifted approximately an hour later, as the rally continued and continued to march through Center City.
The highway is where police fired tear gas at protesters and reporters on June 1 during widespread protests sparking the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, according to the WCAU.
Protesters are calling for Kenney’s resignation after saying they did not accept “the city’s belated and false apologies for the brutal attacks on peaceful protesters,” WPVI-TV reported.
Both the Mayor and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw last week admitted guilt over the incident and apologized for the use of tear gas.
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