Missouri Democratic state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. was arrested with several others while protesting at a mall on Black Friday in St. Louis, Mo.

Franks was a part of a large protest, which some were calling an “economic boycott.” The group’s message was reportedly announced in early November by a group of African Americans in the area to fight against police brutality and to speak out against the lack of bank loans for infrastructure in communities in the St. Louis area.

The protest started around 2 p.m. at the St. Louis Galleria in Richmond Heights, according to The St. Louis Dispatch. Protesters marched through the mall, chanting “shut it down” before police quickly announced that they would be making arrests around 2:25 p.m.

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Robert Cohen, a photojournalist from St. Louis, captured the photograph of Franks being arrested by the police after multiple warnings.

Throughout the protest seven people were arrested. The police shut down the mall during the chaos but reopened the mall just a few hours later once the scene was under control. (RELATED: CHAOS: Watch Hundreds Of Black Friday Shoppers Destroy This Shop [VIDEO])

Franks Jr. was reportedly released at 7 p.m. The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the state representative for more information, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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