4 arrested during protest that closed East Washington Ave. over 7 hours

A group of protesters outside East High School blocked the inbound and outbound lanes of East Washington Avenue for over seven hours Tuesday.

The students were part of a Young Gifted and Black protest regarding the police shooting of Tony Robinson.

The protest started around 10:45 a.m.

Police made an announcement just before 6:30 p.m. telling the protesters to vacate the roadway or they would be arrested for a city ordinance violation, according to the release.

Madison police said four people chose not to leave the street, and were arrested and taken to the Dane County Jail. Eleven people were also cited and released.

The Young Gifted and Black group said the protest was part of a national day of action against officer-involved shootings and minority incarceration rates.

By mid-afternoon the crowd reached a couple hundred, but it got smaller as the afternoon went on.

Classes continued as normal in East High School, but East Washington Avenue was closed from First Street to Milwaukee Street for most of the day.

Madison Metro officials said they rerouted at least three buses routes to avoid the closure.

A group of protesters also gathered outside West High School Tuesday morning.