Undeterred by Mall's Crackdown, Black Lives Matter Shuts Down Business-As-Usual
Racial justice protest in Minneapolis moves from Mall of America to airport after lockdown
Heavy-handed security efforts at the Mall of America and elsewhere did not deter Black Lives Matter protesters, who disrupted holiday shopping and travel on Wednesday to call attention to systemic racism and police brutality in Minneapolis and beyond.
After police at the mall threatened to arrest hundreds of peaceful protesters, Black Lives Matter activists moved their demonstration to nearby light rail trains and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to local news outlets.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports:
After warnings from the mall that they would be arrested, the protesters took Metro Transit's Blue Line to the airport's Terminal 2 (Humphrey), filling a stairwell outside the terminal, but blocked from entering by police. Other protesters arrived at Terminal 1 (Lindbergh), stopping traffic and joining hands as they chanted "black lives, they matter here."
At the mall, the Twin Cities' largest retail center, the protest shut down some stores near the east rotunda for about an hour and a half. At the entrance to the mall, posters were plastered to doors, informing visitors that the mall is private property and protests are strictly prohibited, and a big video screen in the rotunda warned participants to leave or be arrested. Security staff searched visitors' bags and handed out cards letting visitors know the mall would be checking bags and other items at all entrances as part of ongoing security procedures. And police from metro area departments and about 30 State Patrol officers gathered.
The Star-Tribune is also providing live updates.
According to Reuters:
About 100 people started to gather in the east atrium of the mall, one of the largest in North America, around 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), despite a judge's warning that the property's owners could legally block the protest, organized by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police and mall security quickly moved in, warning any who did not leave they would be arrested for violating mall policy against demonstrations and alerting shoppers that that area of the mall was on lockdown. Police took one man into custody and forced people in the protest area outside into a light snow.
The protest is took place despite the Mall of America's attempts to shut it down. While a judge did bar three organizers from attending, she also said she doesn't have the power to prevent others from showing up.
"We are a leader-full organization," Kandace Montgomery, one of the organizers barred by the judge's order, told the Associated Press. "Just barring three of us does not mean that you've stopped our work."
Demonstrators are calling attention to the November police killing of 24-year-old Minneapolis black man Jamar Clark, who was unarmed when he was shot, as well as to racial injustice in Minnesota and across the country.
"Black Xmas is here and there will be no business as usual until we get accountability for our dead, and justice for the living," reads a statement from the national Black Lives Matter Movement recognizing 'Black Xmas' efforts in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay area.
"Instead of buying gifts to fuel this system, Black Xmas is a day of action to reject the degradation of Black families and communities by police, politicians, and predatory companies, and declare our inherent worth," the statement continues. "We will disrupt business as usual until city, state, and federal budgets stop funding Black death and start funding Black futures."
Follow on social media under the hashtags #BlackXmas or #BlackXmas2:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Heavy-handed security efforts at the Mall of America and elsewhere did not deter Black Lives Matter protesters, who disrupted holiday shopping and travel on Wednesday to call attention to systemic racism and police brutality in Minneapolis and beyond.
After police at the mall threatened to arrest hundreds of peaceful protesters, Black Lives Matter activists moved their demonstration to nearby light rail trains and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to local news outlets.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports:
After warnings from the mall that they would be arrested, the protesters took Metro Transit's Blue Line to the airport's Terminal 2 (Humphrey), filling a stairwell outside the terminal, but blocked from entering by police. Other protesters arrived at Terminal 1 (Lindbergh), stopping traffic and joining hands as they chanted "black lives, they matter here."
At the mall, the Twin Cities' largest retail center, the protest shut down some stores near the east rotunda for about an hour and a half. At the entrance to the mall, posters were plastered to doors, informing visitors that the mall is private property and protests are strictly prohibited, and a big video screen in the rotunda warned participants to leave or be arrested. Security staff searched visitors' bags and handed out cards letting visitors know the mall would be checking bags and other items at all entrances as part of ongoing security procedures. And police from metro area departments and about 30 State Patrol officers gathered.
The Star-Tribune is also providing live updates.
According to Reuters:
About 100 people started to gather in the east atrium of the mall, one of the largest in North America, around 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), despite a judge's warning that the property's owners could legally block the protest, organized by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police and mall security quickly moved in, warning any who did not leave they would be arrested for violating mall policy against demonstrations and alerting shoppers that that area of the mall was on lockdown. Police took one man into custody and forced people in the protest area outside into a light snow.
The protest is took place despite the Mall of America's attempts to shut it down. While a judge did bar three organizers from attending, she also said she doesn't have the power to prevent others from showing up.
"We are a leader-full organization," Kandace Montgomery, one of the organizers barred by the judge's order, told the Associated Press. "Just barring three of us does not mean that you've stopped our work."
Demonstrators are calling attention to the November police killing of 24-year-old Minneapolis black man Jamar Clark, who was unarmed when he was shot, as well as to racial injustice in Minnesota and across the country.
"Black Xmas is here and there will be no business as usual until we get accountability for our dead, and justice for the living," reads a statement from the national Black Lives Matter Movement recognizing 'Black Xmas' efforts in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay area.
"Instead of buying gifts to fuel this system, Black Xmas is a day of action to reject the degradation of Black families and communities by police, politicians, and predatory companies, and declare our inherent worth," the statement continues. "We will disrupt business as usual until city, state, and federal budgets stop funding Black death and start funding Black futures."
Follow on social media under the hashtags #BlackXmas or #BlackXmas2:
Heavy-handed security efforts at the Mall of America and elsewhere did not deter Black Lives Matter protesters, who disrupted holiday shopping and travel on Wednesday to call attention to systemic racism and police brutality in Minneapolis and beyond.
After police at the mall threatened to arrest hundreds of peaceful protesters, Black Lives Matter activists moved their demonstration to nearby light rail trains and the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to local news outlets.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports:
After warnings from the mall that they would be arrested, the protesters took Metro Transit's Blue Line to the airport's Terminal 2 (Humphrey), filling a stairwell outside the terminal, but blocked from entering by police. Other protesters arrived at Terminal 1 (Lindbergh), stopping traffic and joining hands as they chanted "black lives, they matter here."
At the mall, the Twin Cities' largest retail center, the protest shut down some stores near the east rotunda for about an hour and a half. At the entrance to the mall, posters were plastered to doors, informing visitors that the mall is private property and protests are strictly prohibited, and a big video screen in the rotunda warned participants to leave or be arrested. Security staff searched visitors' bags and handed out cards letting visitors know the mall would be checking bags and other items at all entrances as part of ongoing security procedures. And police from metro area departments and about 30 State Patrol officers gathered.
The Star-Tribune is also providing live updates.
According to Reuters:
About 100 people started to gather in the east atrium of the mall, one of the largest in North America, around 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT), despite a judge's warning that the property's owners could legally block the protest, organized by the Black Lives Matter movement.
Police and mall security quickly moved in, warning any who did not leave they would be arrested for violating mall policy against demonstrations and alerting shoppers that that area of the mall was on lockdown. Police took one man into custody and forced people in the protest area outside into a light snow.
The protest is took place despite the Mall of America's attempts to shut it down. While a judge did bar three organizers from attending, she also said she doesn't have the power to prevent others from showing up.
"We are a leader-full organization," Kandace Montgomery, one of the organizers barred by the judge's order, told the Associated Press. "Just barring three of us does not mean that you've stopped our work."
Demonstrators are calling attention to the November police killing of 24-year-old Minneapolis black man Jamar Clark, who was unarmed when he was shot, as well as to racial injustice in Minnesota and across the country.
"Black Xmas is here and there will be no business as usual until we get accountability for our dead, and justice for the living," reads a statement from the national Black Lives Matter Movement recognizing 'Black Xmas' efforts in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay area.
"Instead of buying gifts to fuel this system, Black Xmas is a day of action to reject the degradation of Black families and communities by police, politicians, and predatory companies, and declare our inherent worth," the statement continues. "We will disrupt business as usual until city, state, and federal budgets stop funding Black death and start funding Black futures."
Follow on social media under the hashtags #BlackXmas or #BlackXmas2: