As a result of the protest rally, a part of the mall, the east side, had to be shut down on one of the busiest days for holiday shopping.
The group was Black Lives Matter Minneapolis and it had over 3,000 people as indicated by the Organizer Mica Grimm. This rally was a part of protests that have been going on nationwide because white police officers were not charged in the death of a number of deaths of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York.
There were no official reports on arrests, but Mica Grimm mentioned about at least five people who had been arrested. It seems half an hour after the beginning of the planned protest, a final warning to disperse was given, and then the police dressed in riot gear began clearing the rotunda.
Incidentally, Mall of America is a commercial retail and entertainment center and not a forum for protests, demonstrations or public debates – this had been announced by the management of the mall before the protest began. In the opinion of Grimm, the protest was a success and, their goal was to bring more attention to these issues - and they had been able to do that. No one can ignore the deaths of the unarmed blacks and the hands of the white police.
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