Police in the U.S. state of Minnesota made several arrests Wednesday as a protest organized by the Black Lives Matter group disrupted one of the busiest shopping days of the year at the Mall of America.
Black Lives Matter said on Twitter that the protest was aimed at drawing attention to the death of Jamar Clark, a black man killed by police in November.
Police met the protesters as they gathered at the mall, the largest shopping complex in the United States, and warned them the demonstration was not authorized. At least four people were arrested for trespassing related charges.
The protest and arrests forced about 80 stores to briefly close.
The demonstration then moved to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where protesters caused backups and a brief closure to security checkpoints.
In California, protesters blocked a freeway outside the San Francisco International Airport and demanded justice for Mario Woods, a black man suspected in a stabbing who was shot dead by police earlier this month. Several demonstrators were arrested.
The Black Lives Matter movement grew out of protests that followed the killings of black men during confrontations with police in Ferguson, Missouri, New York and other parts of the United States.
