2,500 'Black Lives Matter' Protesters Expected At MOA
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - More than 2,500 people are expected to protest inside the Mall of America's main rotunda Saturday afternoon.
However, mall officials and the city of Bloomington are asking them not to--for safety reasons, and because it's considered trespassing.
The protesters are part of the national Black Lives Matter movement that started after the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York.
"I think that it's a little disrespectful to say, 'Go outside,' where you're not going to be really seen or really heard, because what we're trying to do is raise awareness around this, and we really want MOA to, kind of, stand in solidarity with this movement, because it is a nationwide movement," organizer Michael McDowell said.
It is the same group that shut down I-35W in Minneapolis just a couple of weeks ago.
Bloomington has offered an alternative location for the group.
The city says it's just a safer alternative for everyone, and it's public property, unlike the mall.
Bloomington's city attorney, Sandra Johnson, said she understood the group's "need to get their message out."
"I respect that, we respect their message," she said. "We simply want them to be safe, we want the people at the Mall of America to be safe and we are hoping to accommodate the interests of everyone."
Organizers are being very vague about what will happen when they gather at the mall around 2 p.m. Saturday.
But they say we can expect some Christmas carols with a twist, and the protest will be peaceful.
As of Friday morning, nearly 2,700 people have indicated their intention to attend on the group's Facebook page.
The city and the mall both say it just can't be allowed inside, because it's one of the last big shopping days of the holiday season and they are expecting a lot of people.
Organizers say they don't want to get in the way of shoppers but feel it's important to be inside the mall so they get noticed.
The city attorney says police are ready to and will make arrests.
With so many protesters expected, police will likely focus on organizers and people leading the protest.
If they are charged, they could face 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for trespassing, among other charges, depending on what happens.
The city attorney advises that people come in the morning or later in the afternoon to be safe.
If the protest happens as planned, she says, they are very prepared to deal with the large group of people and whatever happens won't go on for long.
