Black Lives Matter Organizers Barred From Rally at Mall of America

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis has said the protest over the fatal shooting of a black man by a Minneapolis police officer in November would go forward regardless of the judge’s ruling. But the judge denied the mall’s request for a broader order against Black Lives Matter Minneapolis that would require Facebook posts about the protest to be deleted and tweets sent out canceling the event.

A Minnesota judge has refused to block a Mall of America demonstration on Wednesday by Black Lives Matter, despite finding that the mall is private property that can bar activity hostile to its business.

Gov. Mark Dayton says 30 Minnesota State Patrol officers will help handle an expected protest at the Mall of America. In this December 21, 2015 photo, Mall of America attorney Susan Gaertner speaks to the media surrounded by Black Lives Matter members after a hearing at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis.

“The Court does not have a sufficient basis to issue an injunction as to Black Lives Matters or to unidentified persons who may be acting as its agents or in active concert with the Black Lives Matters movement”, she wrote.

The Minneapolis chapter of Black Lives Matter posted an immediate response on Twitter. Deputy Bloomington Police Chief Denis Otterness declined to discuss any additional security measures the mall may put in place Wednesday. She warned that the order, which did not extend to the group itself or unnamed people, “should not be interpreted as authorizing or permitting others to engage in political demonstration at the Mall of America without the express permission of the Mall of America”.

“We are a leader-full organization”. They want to press authorities to release video of the shooting that remains undisclosed.

Judge Karen Janisch granted a temporary restraining order against the three people that planned the massive protest inside the Mall scheduled for Wednesday, but says she can’t prevent others from showing up.

A similar demonstration drew hundreds of protesters to the mall last December and forced some stores to close. As NPR reported at the time, protesters and police differ on the circumstances of Clark’s death.