We made ourselves heard and seen at the Vikings vs. Jets game. This protest was hosted by Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, and titled #TCShutItDown, but we did not actually block anything today. That happened at several other Twin Cities protests over the past few days, ones I could not get to. We assessed our rather smaller group this morning and chose to stay on side-walks and chant. Here is a sign I wish I had, though as usual, I chose to carry my camera instead, more photos below the fold.
A diverse group of all ages and races gathered across from the stadium; you can't really see them in my photos, but there were a few young children with us.
We began by chanting on a nearby side-walk, across from the one most fans were using.
Then we made the very short march to the stadium, chanting things like "No Justice, No Peace" and "Black Lives Matter"
Sometimes the chant leader did call and response with the names of those killed by police. We continued various chants loud and strong through the national anthem.
"Hands up, don't shoot"
At this point I moved to the side closer to the street as it seemed we were short of marshals. I have heard quite a few people say they don't like protests that block roads, and we should stick to high visibility side-walks. Well, guess what? When you do that you still get jerks who want to start something because of it; one of them shoved into us with his beer can still in his hand! We did not engage with them or the mockers. I chose to help wave people around us since I have red mittens and look like the mom I am. However, I think expressions of solidarity outnumbered jerks; someone high-fived me and I saw others come over to thank us. We also had a few guys attempt to sell us tickets!
As the game began, we had a brief die-in.
Then some of us gave brief speeches. I did not really hear any of it since I was out front, but ran back for a quick photo when the entering fans started thinning.
Shortly after the game began we dispersed. Back to my housework and baking for me, but I expect these protests will keep rolling until meaningful change comes.