MINNEAPOLIS—A large protest that started at the Mall of America quickly migrated Wednesday to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where demonstrators blocked roads and caused significant traffic delays.
Airport officials said access to one of two terminals was blocked, which also caused backups on nearby roads. Some protesters took a light-rail train to the airport after the nation’s largest mall was closed by police.
Hundreds of protesters with Black Lives Matter abruptly walked out of the suburban Minneapolis mall shortly after a rally began Wednesday afternoon, chanting, “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!” Organizers were trying to draw attention to Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man who died last month after being shot by Minneapolis police responding to an assault complaint.
Stores closed their gates, kiosks were covered and even Santa left his sleigh shortly before protesters gathered at the massive shopping district on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Numerous signs were posted on mall property, saying no protests were allowed—including a long message on a screen in a central rotunda between two Christmas trees.
Police quickly closed the mall’s main entrances and urged onlookers out, threatening arrest, and protesters moved toward a light-rail train station that allowed quick access to the airport a few miles away.
A similar demonstration at the mall 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. Stores in the mall had to close, and dozens of people were arrested.
