Des Moines protester acquitted of blocking street last year

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An activist who was acquitted in August of interfering in a protest arrest last year has been acquitted of another charge in which police accused him of blocking a street during a protest. The Des Moines Register reports that a judge on Friday found 24-year-old Jaylen Cavil, an organizer for Des Moines’ Black Liberation Movement, not guilty of obstructing a public way. Police had argued that organizers didn’t get a permit for the protest on Sept. 22, 2020, in which Cavil participated. Police say protesters in the street put them and others in danger. But the judge said there was no evidence that Cavil planned the march or that he blocked traffic.