Above Photo: Dailykos.com.
Eleven Black Lives Matter protesters in Minnesota have had charges dropped in connection with a protest held at the Mall of America on December 20, 2014. The action, which drew 3,000 people and shut down the shopping center for three hours on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, was held in conjunction with numerous protests across the country in response to the non-indictments of police officers in New York and Ferguson, Missouri, for the deaths of Eric Garner and Mike Brown.
A press release on the group’s Facebook page from July 2015 described the charges as outrageous and an overreaction on the part of the city attorney, the police, and the Mall of America. “We’re being charged for uplifting the fact that black lives matter, and wanting to create a state where black people are safe,” stated Michael McDowell, one of the alleged ringleaders of the protest.
The Mall of America 11 (#MOA11) were considered to be the primary organizers and leaders of the protest. Charges of aiding and abetting trespass, unlawful assembly, and disorderly conduct were dropped. However, charges of trespassing and obstruction remain against several other protestors. The judge in the case, Hennepin County Chief Judge Peter Cahill, called the protest peaceful and not subversive, in a ruling that ran 137 pages long.
A post to the group’s Facebook page after the charges were dropped said, “Other protesters should not continued to be punished for speaking up for black lives,” and stated that the exonerated protesters will continue to support those still facing charges.