Two Protest Groups On Police Reform Clash In Bloomington
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A group of protesters in Bloomington led a "March for Justice" Saturday afternoon, calling for a change to the city's police department.
Protesters say Bloomington isn't immune to prejudice, and they wanted to bring awareness of the issue in the city.
Organizers say they want reform and accountability from the Bloomington Police Department. They also say they want more diversity in the Bloomington Public School district.
"We need change, we need the legislative leaders to be right alongside with us in the community demanding change," Johnathon McClellan said.
During the march, the protesters actually encountered another group on the other side of the issue.
A group called the "Bloomington Patriots" held a "Back the Blue" rally to show support for law enforcement.
The group says they want nothing to do with the calls for defunding the police.
"We believe that our law enforcement is needed and necessary. Every government has law enforcement. And we do back our police officers, whether they are Black, white, yellow, red, purple, polka-dot, I don't care. We just really believe that our law enforcement needs to be supported," one of the protesters said.
The group of police supporters also says Bloomington leaders need to address crime so residents can feel safe again in their community.
