Black Lives Matter Protesters Shut Down Highway 101 Offramp Near SFO

On one of the busiest days of the holiday season, eight members of the Bay Area Black Lives Matter movement walked onto a southbound Highway 101 offramp for San Francisco International Airport.

They held a Christmas tree painted in red, black and green, and a banner that demanded "Justice for Mario Woods," a 26-year-old Bayview man killed by several police officers earlier this month.

The protesters, who call themselves "BlackXmas," acted in conjunction with six other Black Lives Matter chapters across the nation, including a large action at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. They stood on the SFO offramp for about 15 minutes before the California Highway Patrol arrested them shortly after noon Wednesday.

"San Francisco is a very-revenue driven city. The issues among the black community are often overshadowed or thrown under the rug," says Ronnishia Johnson, a member of Black Lives Matter. She says BLM members chose to focus on stations of commerce -- like Highway 101 and SFO -- to highlight this point.

"Christmas symbolizes a time of joy, a time of happiness, goods, and commerce. For many African-American families, that reality is different."

@BLMBAYAREA "WE ARE HEADED TO JAIL. WE NEED LAWYERS IN SAN MATEO/ SF. HIGHWAY PATROL HAS US" #MarioWoods #ShutItDown pic.twitter.com/b9LVekZ078

— LolaLolaLola (@Lola_Casanova) December 23, 2015

In addition to collaborating with Black Lives Matter on a national level, the members of Black Lives Matter Bay Area are hoping that this event will keep the death of Mario Woods fresh on the minds of Bay Area residents.

The arrested members of the group are at San Mateo County Jail. NBC Bay Area reports they are being held on suspicion of public nuisance, obstructing the freeway, unlawful assembly on a freeway and false imprisonment for imprisoning stuck drivers in their cars.

Johnson and the rest of the folks at Black Lives Matter Bay Area are hoping to raise $20,000 to cover their bail.