Black Lives Matter Mpls. Urging Action to Prevent Charges
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Black Lives Matter Minneapolis -- the group involved in the Mall of America protest -- has responded to the possibility of charges from Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson.
On Saturday, the mall went into a partial shutdown for about two hours as thousands of protesters filled the rotunda on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The group, Black Lives Matter, chose the mall for its high visibility, but was warned repeatedly that it was private property.
The moment the chanting started, officers locked down about 80 stores and several mall entrances. In and around the rotunda, business came to a halt for about two hours.
On Monday, Johnson said she is now building criminal cases against the protest organizers. She said she'll try to get restitution for money lost by the mall, the city and police agencies that came from as far away as Hastings and Red Wing.
Black Lives Matter responded Tuesday, saying young leaders of color are under attack from the Mall of America and Johnson for the peaceful gathering.
The group asks supporters to urge Johnson and MOA to not pursue charges, donate to their legal defense and to tweet #ChargeMeToo to @MallOfAmerica and @Bloomington_MN to support the protest organizers threatened with charges.
Here's the group's entire statement:
The Mall of America and Bloomington Police decided to shut down stores during a peaceful gathering on Saturday where 3000 community members sang carols and chants dedicated to black youth slain by the police.
City of Bloomington attorney Sandra Johnson says she will seek restitution for "loss of profits" and police resources from young people of color she claims to identify as organizers. These carols honoring Black youths Tamir Rice and Mike Brown should have been welcomed with same the warmth and spirit of generosity as the 7,000+ gathering to sing in honor of a young white man who lost his life to cancer. Instead Saturday's group was met with riot gear.
As a community, we are saddened by Mall of America and attorney Johnson's decision to misdirect public resources to protect corporate profits instead of supporting justice for Black people at this critical time in our nation's history.
It's clear that the Bloomington City government, at the behest of one of the largest centers of commerce in the country, hopes to set a precedent that will stifle dissent and instill fear into young people of color and allies who refuse to watch their brothers and sisters get gunned down in the streets with no consequences.
We also must be clear: #BlackXmas was not organized by any individual or small group, but was a collective response and effort by the 3,000 community members and families in attendance who can no longer remain silent to the injustices perpetrated upon their communities.