Justin Jeffre, a former member of the group 98 Degrees, was arrested during an Occupy Cincinnati protest.
Jeffre, 38, was one of 11 people arrested on Sunday at the city’s Fountain Square, according to The AP. The Occupy Cincinnati protests are part of the overall Occupy movement that is speaking out against corporate greed and corruption.
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“I spent the night in jail, and it was not fun,” Jeffre told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But it was the place to be if you are standing up for free speech.”
Jeffre, who has been a community and political activist in Cincinnati since the boy band went on a “self-imposed hiatus” as Jeffre’s website puts it, pled not guilty to trespassing.
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Since his return to Ohio, Jeffre has run for mayor in 2005 and launched a grassroots multimedia project called the Cincinnati Beacon, which now includes a monthly print paper.
Jeffre was part of 98 Degrees with Nick and Drew Lachey and Jeff Timmons. The group was at the peak of their success in the late 90s and early 2000s.
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The Occupy Wall Street protest in New York, which is considered the founding demonstration that sparked demonstrations throughout the country, has seen an increase in media attention due in part to visits from actors and filmmakers including Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin and Mark Ruffalo. Author Naomi Wolf was also arrested during an Occupy protest in New York.
