Protesters shut down the southbound 405 Freeway early Wednesday afternoon, California Highway Patrol Officer Siara Lund told KPCC. It was reopened at 1:49 p.m.

All lanes were blocked, Lund said. The protesters were holding up signs, not letting drivers through and spray-painting the road. The protest was near the Manchester Boulevard and Florence Avenue exit, CHP Officer Peter Bishop told KPCC.

A statement from the protest group Black Lives Matter L.A. said the action was taken in coordination with protesters in five other cities, in protest of incidents they said show "a consistent reiteration of the devaluing of Black life by law enforcement and their supporters."

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In the release, Black Lives Matter L.A. called for "a halt on Christmas as usual in memorial of all of the loved ones we have lost and continue to lose this year to law enforcement violence without justice or recourse."

Video of protest

A press release from Black Lives Matter L.A. included the following demands:

1) Fire Chief Beck for his refusal to hold LAPD officers accountable.

2) Work in partnership with the Los Angeles City Council to develop a reparations strategy.

3) Hold Police Commission meetings that are open, accessible, and at a time when working people can attend.

4) Appoint real community advocates to key commission seats.

5) Adhere to the agreed Town Hall meeting structure with Black community negotiated in July 2015.

Pete White, an organizer with Black Lives Matter and the L.A. Community Action Network said seven people were arrested as part of "active civil disobedience."

CHP confirmed that at least five people were arrested.

"In this Christmas season, we're saying there is no mistletoe in our neighborhood," White said, "and it's not going to be business as usual."

Earlier in the day, a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN spread to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to the Associated Press. Demonstrators blocked roads and caused significant traffic delays.

Hundreds of protesters walked out of the mall, according to the AP, chanting, "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!" They were trying to draw attention to the death of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man who died after being shot by Minneapolis police responding to an assault complaint.

The Mall of America protest had been scheduled in advance, prompting stores to close their gates and cover their kiosks. The mall's Santa left his mall station ahead of the protest, according to the AP. Police threatened people with arrest, but it's not clear how many were arrested.

The mall had tried to get a court order to block the protest and a judge Tuesday barred three organizers from attending the demonstration, but said she didn't have the power to block unidentified protesters or the movement as a whole.

The SF Weekly reported another Black Lives Matter protest in San Francisco Wednesday blocked the southbound 101 Freeway at San Francisco International Airport. The CHP tweeted Wednesday that its officers had arrested nine women in that incident and booked them into San Mateo County Jail.

The Chicago Tribune reported that a local Black Lives Matter group was planning a demonstration for Thursday on the "Magnificent Mile" — the city's upscale retail district on Michigan Avenue.

This story has been updated.