Dozens Protest At Ross Park Mall
ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Dozens of protesters were at the Ross Park Mall to demonstrate Saturday.
A protest was planned for noon.
About 35 demonstrators gathered inside the mall walking silently, some carrying signs and some with their hands raised.
"People get distracted from the message and only focus on the violence and the rioting," said protest organizer Davon Magwood. "Yeah we're peaceful protesters but were not quiet, peaceful doesn't mean we have to be quiet."
Ross Township Police were also on scene, in addition to mall security guards.
"They were a respectful, orderly bunch as we expected," said Ross Township Police Sgt. Benjamin Dripps. "They professed to be peaceful, be organized and I think they were."
Ross Park Mall said in a statement Friday, ahead of the demonstration, that protests are not allowed on the mall property – which is private property.
However, mall officials didn't stop the protesters.
Later they released a statement, saying:
Although we asked that the protest be relocated to public property, a small, peaceful demonstration took place at Ross Park Mall at noon today. Participants have dispersed and the mall is open and operating as usual.
Friday night, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Oakland and toward downtown and the South Side. They shut down the Parkway East, Carson Street, the Smithfield Street Bridge and several other roads.
Protesters have been demonstrating for most of the week following grand jury decisions following the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, calling for an end to police brutality.
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