US Black Lives Matter protests disrupt airports and shopping

Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan said Thursday that there’s no reason to believe there will be a repeat of protests that led to traffic backups and security checkpoint shutdowns at a secondary terminal Wednesday. He said the protest caused some flight delays but no cancellations.

A Black Lives Matter protest at the Mall of America in Minnesota resulted in several arrests.

The protest is the latest in a string of demonstrations in Chicago in response to the release last month of police dashcam video showing the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times.

“I think that if it only took 20 people to get the attention of CNN and the rest of the world, they’re on to a great start”, Jeezy said.

According to the BBC, a total of 15 people were arrested at both locations for obstruction of justice or trespassing.

Police said it was an “unauthorised demonstration” and at one point described the situation as “very, very dangerous”.

Jamar Clark was shot dead in November by officers responding to an assault complaint, in one of a number of recent incidents around the US. The protesters gathered at the shopping center, the largest of its kind in the country, and chanted, “What do we want? Because we will drag you out of that office for justice”.

Some protesters then went to a nearby light-rail train station to head to the airport, where demonstrators temporarily blocked access to a terminal.

Bloomington police report four protest-related arrests at the mall. Authorities say they won’t release it while state and federal investigations are ongoing.

On Tuesday, the mall sought a court order to prevent the planned protest, which would impede shoppers and cause businesses to lose money on one of the final days before the Christmas holiday. Security guards cordoned off parts of the central rotunda, and officers from several cities patrolled inside.

This is the second protest to be held by the group at the Mall of America.

“I’m here shopping and I’m being kicked out of #MOA”, a white-haired woman who identified herself as kderong wrote on Twitter, also posting a photo of police in riot gear blocking a mall hallway. Demonstrators remained in the Mall of America for about an hour and a half.

Kandace Montgomery, one of three organizers barred by Judge Karen Janisch’s order, said the group wasn’t deterred by the ban.

“The mall was a decoy”, said Black Lives Matter organizer Miski Noor, who protested at the airport.

“When you disrupt their flow of capital… they actually start paying attention”, she said.

Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.

A similar demonstration last December drew hundreds of demonstrators angry over the absence of charges following the police killings of unarmed black men in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri.

Information for this article was contributed by Jeff Baenen and Brian Bakst of The Associated Press.