Black Lives Matter and minimum wage protests are taking place on Black Friday, the kick-off of the Christmas shopping season. Chicago, Illinois remains the center of the anti-police brutality deaths, while Walmart employees are targeting the retail giant.
While shoppers flock to stores to fight ‒ sometimes literally ‒ for the best offers, a march is planned along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the city’s premier shopping district. The Black Lives Matter demonstration comes three days after the release of a video that shows a police officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times.
The Chicago protest is reminiscent of 2014’s Black Friday demonstrations, which were centered near St. Louis, Missouri, but spread across the country. Last year, activists turned out at top retail outlets to protest a grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, then a police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, for killing Michael Brown, an unarmed teen, that August.
For the fourth year running, Walmart employees are protesting on Black Friday, pushing the US retail giant to once again raise its minimum wage. Currently Walmart pays its workers at least $9 an hour, but workers are asking for $15.
28 November 2015
Seattle police outfitted in riot gear and bikes stand in front of the mall doors.
Protesters chant “Block Black Friday” in front of Seattle’s Westlake Center mall.
Sit in underway outside Seattle’s mall Westlake Center, police are blocking the entrance to the mall.
Police are keeping Seattle protesters away from the Christmas tree at Westlake mall.
The protest in Portland appears to be over. Organizers estimate up to 400 people participated.
Protests in Chicago have shut down much of the main shopping district for the better part of the day, and are still going on in places.
Some of the protesters demand the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy.
Seattle police have arrested at least three of the protesters.
At Seattle's Pacific Place mall, sources report damage to the door of the Macy's store. Protesters have moved back to Westlake mall, where they were blocked by a police line.
In Chicago, police clashed with protesters blocking the entrance to Tiffany's on Michigan Avenue, which has been closed for a while.
27 November 2015
Seattle police are blocking the Black [Lives Matter] Friday protesters from entering Westlake mall.
The mayor, superintendent [of police], state's attorney... "we want all of them gone," says a Chicago protester.
With Seattle police in riot gear blocking the entrance to Pacific Place, protesters are going back to Westlake mall, where a Christmas tree lighting ceremony is scheduled to begin soon.
It wouldn't be a Seattle protest without costumed marchers, says a Post-Intelligencer reporter.
Scenes from the Magnificent Mile in Chicago today, as Black [Lives Matter] Friday protesters shut down stores.
A large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters is marching along the streets in northeastern Portland.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, protesters have moved away from Westlake mall and are blocking Pacific Place.
There seems to have been another arrest in Chicago. One protester was detained in front of the Banana Republic store, a Chicago Tribune reporter tweeted.
One protester has reportedly been arrested in Seattle, as the crowd attempted to enter Westlake mall.
In New York City, police have redirected some of their efforts away from Black Friday protests to cover Planned Parenthood clinics, as a precaution due to the situation in Colorado Springs. However, that standoff appears to be unrelated to Planned Parenthood, and is taking place at a nearby business.
Protesters in Chicago continue to block retail stores. A group of demonstrators cheered after Tiffany's locked its doors.
The Seattle protest has grown. Demonstrators are marching in downtown.
The crowd is blockading a Macy's store as well.
Quoting Chicago police, local media report that three people were arrested during the protests today, all charged with misdemeanors.
Today's protest in Chicago shut down the Magnificent Mile for 3.5 hours.
Some of the protesters called for the resignation of Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, formerly Chief of Staff to President Obama (2009-2010).
In Seattle, protesters are on the march
flanked by the police on bicycles and on foot.
Prior to being dispersed by police, Chicago protesters have blockaded a number of stores on what is traditionally the busiest retail day in the US.
In Chicago, police appear to be pushing the protesters back up Michigan Avenue.
Chicago police have also set up a roadblock on Lake Shore Drive.
FightFor15 marchers picket a Macy's in Minneapolis. Also demand justice for Jamar Clark.
The Seattle protest has grown to about 125 people.
Protesters have gathered in Portland, Oregon as well:
A large group of protesters is blocking a Nike store at 669 N Michigan Avenue.
"This store is closed," protesters tell shoppers in Chicago.
A solidarity protest is taking place in Seattle, Washington as well.
Though the Chicago and Minneapolis protests have received the most media attention, Black Lives Matter Friday is going on in other parts of the US. Demonstrators in Emeryville, California, blocked the streets chanting "Black lives matter".
Protesters count to 16 and chant "sixteen shots" - the number of bullets fired into Laquan McDonald.
One of the demands by the protesters is the resignation of State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who they say tried to cover up last year's police killing of Laquan McDonald.
Chicago protests on Black [Lives Matter] Friday seek to shut down the Magnificent Mile.
Much of the anger is aimed at Chicago's mayor.
Protesters have been blocking customers from getting out of stores.
For the fourth year running, thousands of Walmart employees and others are attending demonstrations at more than a dozen Walmart stores across the nation, including in New York City, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Detroit. Prior to Black Friday, the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US, more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of Walmart workers, fasted for more than two weeks.
Walmart protesters demonstrate outside Alice Walton’s home in New York City. The heiress is the daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton.
New York City protesters have stormed Manhattan Midtown Mall…
…and a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant.
In Chicago, protesters have begun blocking shoppers from entering stores on the Magnificent Mile.
Police have arrested at least two peaceful protesters in Chicago.
Chicago protesters have reached the Historic Water Tower.
In New York City, protesters in midtown are demonstrating for both the Black Lives Matter and the Fight for 15 movements.
Chicago protesters plan to shut down the iconic Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue.
Protests have begun in Minneapolis, Minnesota calling for the state to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Chicago protesters are calling for an independent investigation into the case against Officer Jason Van Dyke, questioning why it took 13 months after McDonald’s death for police to charge the officer with first-degree murder and to release the video of the shooting.
Some protesters want Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign, saying they have mishandled the case.
Children are among the thousands of protesters in Chicago.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson and other “old guard” civil rights activists and politicians are in attendance, WBEZ tweeted.
Protesters start their march in Chicago