Lajuana Lampkins and her son, Gerald Akbar. View Full Caption Provided (Lampkins); DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser (Akbar)

WICKER PARK — A South Side artist arrested during a protest against police violence on Tuesday when he refused to leave Wicker Park's Milwaukee, Damen and North intersection said he joined the demonstration to honor his brother, who was killed by a Calumet City police officer in 2010.

"When they told us to disperse, everyone was dispersing. I wasn't angry about being arrested. I was angry that the police were acting like it was all fun and games," said Gerald Akbar, 34, who was ticketed for a misdemeanor of obstructing traffic.

The demonstration occurred just after 9 p.m. Tuesday and shut down Wicker Park' s main intersection for about 15 minutes before being relocated to the sidewalk, where about 50 protesters shouted, "Don't shoot, hands up" as they walked south on Milwaukee Avenue.

"I was swept up in emotion and snapped when I looked around and saw all the police officers laughing like [the protest] doesn't matter," Akbar said.

Witnesses said Akbar was saying, "F--- the police, f--- the police" shortly before his arrest.

On Jan. 4, 2010, Gerald Akbar's older brother, Prince Akbar, was shot by Calumet City police after beating two officers, the Tribune reported.

Prince Akbar, who was 32 at the time of his death, suffered from bipolar disorder, according to his mother, Lajuana Lampkins.

Lampkins said the protest "was an emotional moment" for Gerald Akbar because of his brother's death.

"I would want the court to consider he is in a sensitive position and consider his state of mind. His brother was his mother, his father, his everything," Lampkins said.

Lampkins said she hoped the city would dismiss her son's ticket for obstructing traffic if they knew the circumstances behind Akbar's outburst.

Though he lives on the South Side, Gerald Akbar is a familiar presence in Wicker Park as he peddles his art throughout the neighborhood, often approaching people on the sidewalk to see if they would like to look at his drawings.

Akbar calls his quirky and sometimes playfully crude drawings — which feature icons like E.T., Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong and Cookie Monster — "ghetto art."

On Tuesday evening, Akbar said that he was just hanging out around Wicker Park and did not know who the protesters were or what they were protesting against, but once he heard what it was all about, immediately joined them.

"I felt I wasn't alone having a loved one that had been taken by the police. I felt it was my duty and responsibility to stand up for brothers and sisters. It was a great moment for me personally in my life to stand up for something," Akbar said.

Akbar was released from Cook County Jail around 4 a.m. Wednesday and then went to his mother's house.

He is scheduled to appear in Cook County Branch Court 23, 5555 W. Grand Ave. at 2 p.m. on Dec. 1.

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