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Arrests made during Atlanta fast food wage protest

Carmen Burley-Rawls, left, demonstrates outside a Burger King restaurant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, in Atlanta. Calling for higher pay and the right to form a union without retaliation, fast-food chain workers in Atlanta protested Thursday as part of a wave of strikes and protests in 150 cities across the U.S. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Carmen Burley-Rawls, left, demonstrates outside a Burger King restaurant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, in Atlanta. Calling for higher pay and the right to form a union without retaliation, fast-food chain workers in Atlanta protested Thursday as part of a wave of strikes and protests in 150 cities across the U.S. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

By Associated Press September 4, 2014 1 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta police say a group of demonstrators pushing for higher wages for fast food workers have been arrested and are being held in the city jail.

Police spokesman Ralph Woolfolk says a group of about 10 people accused of ignoring repeated demands to leave Ponce De Leon Avenue in front of a McDonald’s restaurant have been charged with blocking traffic during the demonstration on Thursday.

The protest was one of many held across the country that included fast food workers and others calling for a $15 an hour minimum wage and the right to unionize without the threat of retaliation.

Woolfolk says after the arrests, protesters moved in front of a nearby Wendy’s restaurant and continued the demonstration on the sidewalk.