This is only going to get worse unless Someone has the spine to deal with it otherwis our very own "Arab Spring" is coming.
By Ben Brumfield, CNN
updated 7:50 AM EST, Sun December 21, 2014

(CNN) -- A choir of protests echoed through the country's quintessential megamall, when a few hundred demonstrators from Black Lives Matter raised their voices at the Mall of America.

They held the protest Saturday against the Bloomington, Minnesota, mall's wishes, and were met by police who made at least 20 arrests, CNN affiliate KARE reported.

"We are extremely disappointed that organizers of Black Lives Matter protest chose to ignore our stated policy and repeated reminders that political protests and demonstrations are not allowed on Mall of America property," AoM's said in a statement.

The mall bills itself as the nation's largest with more than 500 businesses. It is big enough to hold seven Yankee Stadiums, its management boasts.

It is home to an indoor roller coaster, the Sea Life Aquarium, and about a dozen more attractions, but on Saturday amusement was drowned out by echoes of "black lives matter" and "no justice, no peace."

Marchers raised their hands in the air and lay down to play dead -- simulating the deaths of young black men Michael Brown of Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, of New York, in confrontations with police.

As protesters unfurled banners of "hands up, don't shoot," the mall answered with a video wall message in all caps reading:

"This demonstration is not authorized and is in clear violation of Mall of America policy. We expect all participants to disperse at this time. Those who continue to demonstrate will be subject to arrest."

Management shut down the stores on one side of the mall.

Officers called out to the crowd to leave, police spokesman Mark Stehlik told KARE. But officers seemed patient, giving protesters multiple chances to comply.

"They could have arrested me; they could have escorted me. They just asked me nicely to leave, and I did," said Michael McDowell, one of the protest organizers.

Police then arrested some who were less willing to leave on their own, KARE reported.

Prosecutors plan to throw the book at them.

"They knowingly broke the law. They were involved in a situation that was very potentially dangerous," city prosecutor Sandra Johnson said. (Brilliant. Try addressing the cause rather than the effect, bozos)

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/21/us/mall-o ... index.html?

Mall of America is ENORMOUS ~ big enough to be home to a mini-amusement park inside ~ a different report I read on this last week said "thousands" [not "a few hundred"] protesters participated and that forced the mall to close ~ I'll try to find that report again ~

As I've posted before, being a child of the '60s/'70s, I can and do relate to "people power" ~ I can only speak for the US, but the underlying problem here is institutionalized and insidious racism ~ we MUST confront that problem, openly and honestly ~ which, frankly, seems less likely now that the GOP/TPers will own Congress for at least the new few years ~

Sooz

There's more unease among the "people" than simply about racism. Consider the income gap, corruption, mental illness, gun control (or lack thereof), healthcare, etc. All that needs to happen is for all these major issues to converge at the same time and voila - rebelion. And I say that because authorities will respond in their usual fashion - with force.

I agree, oskar ~ all of those things must be factored in, but each [in its own way] relates to or is a product of institutionalized/insidious racism as well ~ I'm using the word "racism" to cover more than just blacks/whites ~ in my own mind it covers any/all "differences" ~

Sooz

Since when is mall policy a law of the land? True the business always has the right to ask a person(s) to leave but unless there was property damage I would think trespassing could be the primary charge ifthe mall wanted to press charges. Fallure to obey an officer maybe if the prosecutor wants to be a jerk which sounds like she does. She must not be up for reelection.