The St. Paul offshoot of Black Lives Matter is planning a protest at the Twin Cities Marathon in reaction to recent conflicts between community members and police in St. Paul, a lead organizer of the group said Friday night.
The rally on Oct. 4 will start at 10 a.m. in Boyd Park at 335 Selby Av. in St. Paul, according to spokesman Rashad Turner. The so-called #BlackMarathon comes after the same group staged a die-in to disrupt light-rail service at a Metro Transit station along St. Paul's University Avenue before the Vikings' home-opener game last Sunday. That protest drew hundreds, many of whom responded to an invitation on the group's Facebook page. The group had a few dozen respondents as of Friday night for a similar invitation to the Oct. 4 event.
The protesters want to put local officials, police departments and community members on alert that the group "will not stop fighting for justice till [they] see the end of police brutality and white supremacy," Turner said when reached Friday night.
The group is reacting to recent incidents in St. Paul, including the forcible arrest of 15-year-old Tyree Tucker last weekend in Ryan Park. They're also reacting to the death of 30-year-old Philip Quinn, an American Indian man who was shot Thursday by St. Paul police.
Members of the group met this week with St. Paul Police Chief Tom Smith, City Attorney Sammy Clark and Tyrone Tirrell, president of the African American Leadership Council, Turner said.
They discussed current relations between police and minority members and shared "a sense that we can all be working in the right direction," Turner said.
"We want the public to understand that we don't have any political agenda. We are living in St. Paul and looking to get justice for the black community," he added. Natalie Daher • 612-673-1775