Protests Shut Down Mall of America

Protesters demonstrating against the recent decisions not to indict the cops who killed Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson took over the Mall of American on Saturday. According to Reuters, over 1,500 protesters shut down the suburban Minneapolis mall, one of the largest in the U.S., the weekend before Christmas. Protesters chanted “While you’re on your shopping spree, black people cannot breathe,” and they staged “die-ins” in front of stores. Demonstrators filled the mall shortly before 2 p.m., and the mall stated that it had resumed normal functioning by 5 p.m. Cops arrested arrested 25 people by Saturday night. The Mall of America slammed the protests. “It’s clear from their actions that these political activists were more concerned about making a political statement and creating a media event than they were about the safety of others,” said Mall of America officials. The protests occurred the same day two NYPD cops were shot dead in alleged retalliation for the Garner and Brown deaths.