JPSO disperses protesters blocking Westbank Expressway, says report

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Protesters blocked part of the Westbank Epressway in Jefferson Parish, according to WWL-TV.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., deputies arrived to clear the scene.

HAPPENING NOW: The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office is clearing the Westbank Expressway after people in Marrero attempted to block it. Deputies are in riot gear, but the department tells us demonstrators are not violent. @WWLTV

— Devin Bartolotta (@devinbartolotta) May 31, 2020

Sheriff's deputies arrived in riot gear, but the TV station reports demonstrators remained non-violent as deputies dispersed the crowd. A few people reportedly were arrested.

The protest comes days after a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy shot and killed Modesto Reyes. The sheriff's office says deputies fired at Reyes after he led police on a pursuit Wednesday night and pointed a gun at deputies. Members of Reyes family dispute this account.

In New Orleans Saturday, hundreds more joined in a protest against police brutality as demonstrations took place across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being detained by white Minneaopolis police officers. Four officers involved in the incident have been fired and one of the Derek Chauvin, has been arrested on charges of third degree murder and manslaughter. 

Video showed Floyd being held on the ground, with Chauvin's knee on his neck, as Floyd declared he could not breathe.

While the protest in New Orleans was non-violent, other cities have experienced property damage and looting amid the demonstrations.