Cornel West Arrested At Ferguson Protest Supporting Michael Brown

Renowned public intellectual, civil rights advocate and Princeton University professor Dr. Cornel West was arrested Monday afternoon during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, according to a photograph posted by Twitter user @bullhorngirl. The image shows West, who on Sunday had directly addressed the possibility of his being incarcerated, bent over in a dark suit as his wrists were cuffed by police officers wearing raincoats and helmets:

“I didn’t come here to give a speech,” West said Sunday in remarks at St. Louis University’s Chaifetz Arena as part of the Ferguson October "Weekend of Resistance" in honor of Mike Brown and Vonderrit Myers Jr., two St. Louis-area black teenagers who were shot and killed by white police officers over the past two months. “I came here to go to jail.”

West's speech touched on a wide range of issues, including the need for black leaders of all ages to coordinate their efforts to end the “vicious legacy of white supremacy” in America. He said black youth should “love themselves, respect themselves in such a way that we can mobilize and organize. I want to try and make sure their voices are heard.... The larger system has been victimizing and coming at them.”

After delivering his speech, West joined protests early Monday morning at nearby St. Louis University:

He reportedly joined protesters in Ferguson later on Monday, finding himself in police custody by early afternoon.