Paul mayor says protesters agree not to disrupt marathon

The group previously announced a plan to shut down the Twin Cities Marathon this weekend, a move that Coleman said was “an unacceptable risk” to runners, spectators and the protesters themselves.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Black Lives Matter St. Paul has agreed not to disrupt the Twin Cities Marathon during the rally the group is planning for Sunday, Mayor Chis Coleman said after talking with the group’s organizer on Thursday.

Later Wednesday, Smith said at news conference at police headquarters that St. Paul police had provided security for the marathon for 33 years.

Demonstrators will be given a space near the finish line where they can protest peacefully, according to reports, including from Nicole Norfleet with the Star Tribune.

“I am happy that we have a chance to have this dialogue”, Coleman said. Coleman told Minnesota Public Radio that the planned disruption of the marathon was different, because people affected by it wouldn’t have options to avoid it. To paraphrase an old adage, the right of anyone to protest ends at another’s nose, or, in this case, someone else’s feet.

Coleman and St. Paul Black Lives Matter leader Rashad Turner had several hours of intense discussion on the treatment of residents of color in the city by St. Paul’s Police force.

“My message to runners and spectators is to come out and enjoy the day”, he said.

“As a person of color of course I’m conflicted in that I understand that there’s a problem with race but there are other problems in the African-American community that go beyond just being black”, said Crystal Gail Welcome, from Georgia, who will run the event’s 10-miler on Sunday. And I also believe it is important for leaders of Black Lives Matter to understand the extraordinary efforts Chief Smith and the department have taken to address issues of racial equity.