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Protesters briefly block Lansing streets in prisons protest

Posted at 3:12 PM, Aug 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-18 15:12:18-04

A group of protesters briefly shut down streets in downtown Lansing during a rally where they protested the prison system in Michigan and across the nation.

The protesters chanted and banged drums Friday as they blocked streets in Michigan's capital during their protest outside the Michigan Department of Corrections headquarters.

Upset motorists honked their horns and at least one vehicle drove slowly through the crowd of protesters, who moved aside.

Organizer Alejo Stark, a 27-year-old from East Lansing, told the crowd that prisons are engaged in fascism, racism and slavery. He said prisons "don't stop the violence in our society, they produce it."

The Lansing State Journal reports the march was planned in solidarity with a march scheduled for Saturday in Washington, D.C., focusing on the human rights of prisoners.