Arrests made at protest of Nashville-based private prison firm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Police have begun arresting protesters who are blocking the entrances to the headquarters of private prison operator CoreCivic.

The Tennessee-based company is one of the nation’s largest private prison operators and also runs eight immigration detention centers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The No Exceptions Prison Collective wants all those facilities closed.

One protester was seated in a large tripod made with logs Monday, resting on a swing-like seat dangling about 25 feet up in the air. Police had not gotten her down yet. Others connected their arms through large barrels and metal pipes.

Officers began arresting some demonstrators in late Monday morning. The Rev. Jeannie Alexander went limp as officers carried her into a police van.

CoreCivic says the activists are distorting the company’s role in immigration detention.