Arrests across nation as protesters target Black Friday

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. — One of the St. Louis area's most popular shopping malls was closed for more than an hour on Black Friday when people protesting the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case marched into the Galleria and lay down on the third floor.

It was one of several protests around the country that targeted the rush of crowds in downtown shopping centers and suburban malls, some causing temporary or early closures and leaving broken storefront windows. Protests in the San Francisco area shut down a key commuter train for about an hour, while those in Seattle attempted to stop the city's tree-lighting ceremony. At least three dozen people were arrested.

Near St. Louis, police arrested 16 people, including 15 protesters who were from outside Missouri, after a protest that started at shopping malls ended up in front of the Ferguson police headquarters, which had issued a warning to leave the streets. Ferguson is the town where a white police officer, Darren Wilson, shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen, in August. A grand jury on Monday decided not to charge Wilson, a decision that has set off days of protests in major cities.

Earlier in the day, more than 100 protesters marched through the busy Galleria mall, chanting "Black lives matter" and urging shoppers to skip shopping to show solidarity with their cause.

Police were on hand Friday in expectation of the protesters. Shoppers were asked to leave after the protesters lay down.

"I thought they were very peaceful," said Sarah Jeffords-Haas, who walked around the protesters on the floor of the mall.

"This is no longer a protest, it's an uprising," said Kymone Freeman, who wore a plastic pig snout while he led the protesters through the mall.

Shoppers and mall employees stopped to watch the protesters and some shops — including Kids Foot Locker and Hallmark — closed their security gates after the protest began around lunchtime.

Some mall workers cheered as the protesters walked by their shops. Two off-the-clock Macy's employees still in their smocks even briefly joined the marchers, enthusiastically chanting "no justice, no peace" before returning to the department store.

One of the Macy's employees said she didn't fear being reprimanded or losing her job.

"I don't care if they try to fire me," said Lisa Jones, who lives in Ferguson. "I got the right to speak."

Cbabi Bayoc, of St. Louis, brought his three children to take part in the demonstration.

"I brought my kids to show them what peaceful protest and engagement looks like," he said.

Protesters later descended on the Chesterfield Mall and West County Center, a mall in Des Peres, Mo.

DeRay McKessen, one activist that helped coordinate the protesters, said the mall operators briefly shut down the malls after they arrived to protest.

As one group of young protesters left the West County Center chanting, an older man who was shopping yelled at them to "Go home!"

One of the young protesters responded, "We are home!"

They then drove away.

PROTESTS HALT SAN FRANCISCO TRAIN LINE

In Oakland, a "Black Lives Matter" protest snarled the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Transit system after about two dozen of the 100 demonstrators chained themselves to train cars at the West Oakland station.

The action shut down service between East Bay and San Francisco for more than two hours, and delays persisted throughout the system all afternoon. Police made 14 arrests.

Protests in San Francisco started downtown, converging on the shopping area of Union Square, where demonstrators attempted to disrupt the tree-lighting ceremony. It then wound down to the Mission district. An Apple Store, a Bank of America location and a news van were vandalized during the protests, and a RadioShack was broken into. Police were out in riot gear.

SEATTLE MALL SHUTS EARLY

As rain fell in Seattle, more than 200 marchers chanting "hands up, don't shoot" or "black lives matter" blocked traffic and forced the closing of the downtown bus tunnel for about an hour, reducing King County Metro service, officials said.

Five people were arrested for assaulting officers and damaging an officer's bicycle.

Demonstrators swept into Westlake Mall, chaining the doors and shutting down the Metro station, before moving on to occupy the top floor of nearby Pacific Place. The mall closed early. The tree-lighting ceremony started early after protesters surrounded the area.

In late afternoon, police reportedly were using pepper spray and percussion grenades to disperse demonstrators as they continued to march in the streets.

CHICAGO: BLOCKED TRAFFIC

In Chicago, about 200 people gathered near the Magnificent Mile shopping district for what activists called "a day of awareness and engagement," including a push for more transparency from Chicago police.

Police arrested at least five people outside Macy's flagship store in New York City after some of the 150 protesters blocked traffic. But across the Brooklyn Bridge, a "Hands Up, Don't Shop" protest fizzled when no one showed up.

Contributing: Michael Winter, Laura Mandaro, Ashley Stewart and Elisa Hahn in Seattle, and the Associated Press

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