Back on December 20th there was a "Black Lives Matter" protest at the Mall of America shopping mall in Bloomington, Minnesota. Before the protest the police and city of Bloomington told the protestors they would not be allowed to protest because they didn't have a permit, and besides the mall is private property. In essence, they would be trespassing.
The protesters forged ahead, the mall was disrupted and 11 people were arrested. The "faith community" in the Twin Cities took up the cause of the protesters and requested that all charges be dropped. Yesterday the Bloomington city attorney, Sandra Johnson, would not back down, seeking to prosecute and responded thusly,
“While I respect your point of view on the issues of social and racial injustice, I must decline your proposed remedy,” Johnson wrote. “I will continue to uphold the law — without fear or favor.”
“First and foremost, the criminal justice system must look at conduct, not the content of the message behind the illegal conduct,” it said. “To approach protest or demonstration cases any other way would result in viewpoint discrimination based on the popularity of the message with the community."
Rule of Law Triumphs in Bloomington, MN
Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by InTheLight, Mar 4, 2015.
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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Good to see the city attorney standing firm in the face of opposition - these protesters went on private property and forced the MoA to shut down for hours five days before Christmas and what was the point? Other people were at the mall to shop, not to be in the middle of some mob.
What is it about the MoA anyways? It's a magnet . . . the name? -
InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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Did the management of the MoA welcome the protests? If not, I suspect that they are in favor of the charges.
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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