Cole Sprouse was arrested on Sunday during the Black Lives Matter protest in Santa Monica, Calif.
The “Riverdale” actor, 27, described his experience via Instagram on Monday, writing: “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.”
He then described how he was detained “when standing in solidarity” and was given the option to leave or face arrest. He was among protesters who decided to leave, but they “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,” he asserted.
“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,” he added while informing his followers that he would be sharing links where people could donate their money and support.
“This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally,” he concluded. “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.”
Sprouse is one of the many celebrities protesting in response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.
Singer Madison Beer documented her experience protesting in Santa Monica, sharing that she was tear-gassed on Sunday. Halsey said she was hit by police pellets and was “gassed” in Los Angeles, while John Cusack said police came at him with batons in Chicago. “Insecure” star Kendrick Sampson was also hit by rubber bullets at a protest on Saturday.
The protests are ongoing throughout the nation.
Reps for Sprouse didn’t immediately get back to us.