On Friday night a group of Mike Brown activists took their “Black Lives Matter” protest to a mall in Seattle and disrupted a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
There's a band here playing, but protesters are trying to drown it out with "black lives matter" chant. pic.twitter.com/jTfEhDC3kJ
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) November 29, 2014
Children crying in the crowd as #Ferguson protesters disrupt Seattle tree lighting.
— Eric Wilkinson (@EricWilkinson) November 29, 2014
Marissa Johnson, a protest organizer, told a local television station the protest was designed to harass Christmas shoppers.
“America goes where their pocketbook goes, so today we’re blocking Black Friday,” she said. “We want you to be uncomfortable shopping.”
In addition to drowning out children singing Christmas carols with chants of “no justice, no peace,” the protesters staged a “die-in” at the Westlake Center mall. They also blocked streets and intersections near Westlake Park.
The protest resulted in the mall closing early and police turning away shoppers.
Protesters also tried to close down an upscale shopping center in downtown Seattle by chaining doors shut.
“While I understand the hurt and frustration that our city has experienced in the past days, this is a city that respects the rule of law. I support the First Amendment rights of protestors, but violence against property or police officers will not be tolerated in our city,” Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement.
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