Protesters shut down traffic, march onto I-35W bridge in Minneapolis in response to unrest in Ethiopia
Protesters gather on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis on July 10, 2020.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Protesters briefly shut down traffic on I-35W early Friday evening in response to the unrest in Ethiopia.
Around 5 p.m., a crowd got onto the highway and gathered on the I-35W bridge. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, northbound 35W is closed at about Franklin Ave and southbound 35W is closed at Johnson Street.
About 30 minutes later, the protesters marched off the bridge using the University Avenue ramp.
In Ethiopia, deadly protests broke out following the killing of a famous singer, Hachalu Hundessa, who wrote songs about the Oromo ethnic group.
Protesters gather on the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis on July 10, 2020. (FOX 9)
According to the U.S. Census, in 2018, one of the largest groups of foreign-born Minnesotans were born in Ethiopia, making up about 21,900 people. However, census officials say this is likely an underestimate and the total does not include U.S.-born children of these immigrants.
Earlier this month, protesters marched onto the I-94 in St. Paul for the same reason.