The Black Lives Matter case that Mall of America isn't private property

(KMSP) - In the wake of a protest that shut down the Mall of America for part of the afternoon yesterday, MOA officials justified the heavy police presence at the mall by pointing out that "We have a longstanding police banning political demonstrations and protests on our private property."

"When we learned that this group was planning this unauthorized political demonstration we contacted organizers to remind them that we would not tolerate any unauthorized events and would take appropriate action to stop it, including arrests by the Bloomington Police Department," mall officials said in a statement. "While we respect the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, those rights do not trump our right as private property owners to prohibit that behavior on our property -- a position that courts have affirmed -- nor our responsibility to provide a safe environment for other Mall of America guests."

But Black Lives Matter officials argue the MOA property isn't as "private" as the mall's statement would have you believe:

The $250 million in tax subsidies that tweet refers to helped finance the MOA's recent expansion, and the fact public dollars were involved in that project led some to think along the same lines as Black Lives Matter:

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/27680729/the-black-lives-matters-case-that-mall-of-america-isnt-private-property


Charges Expected To Be Filed Against MOA Protest Organizers

BLOOMINGTON (WCCO) — In the next few days, the Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson expects to file criminal charges against the organizers of Saturday’s protest at Mall of America.

The mall went into a partial shutdown for about two hours as thousands of protesters filled the rotunda on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The group, “Black Lives Matter” chose the mall for its high visibility, but was warned repeatedly that it was private property.

Mall officials are reportedly gathering estimates of how much money the stores lost on Saturday.

Combined with the amount of overtime put in by police, Johnson said the numbers will be “staggering,” and she wants the protest organizers to pay.

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/12/22/bloomington-city-atty-expected-to-file-charges-against-moa-protest-organizers/