Minneapolis police today broke up a Black Lives Matter encampment that protesters set up more than two weeks ago outside a police station to protest the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark, 24, by an officer. Police issued dispersal orders around 4 a.m. and gave the 50 demonstrators 10 to 15 minutes to leave the site. The encampment had become the subject of intense debate over its disruption to the neighborhood and the scene of a shooting that left five activists wounded in a clash with a handful of adversaries.
Black Lives Matter Minneapolis announced a “Fourth Precinct Shutdown Eviction Rally” for 4 p.m. today at Minneapolis City Hall. “We will converge on City Hall in response to our Mayor and City Council's continued brutality against peaceful protesters who have endured a white supremacist terrorist attack, police violence, and freezing temperatures to demand justice for Jamar Clark,” the group said on Facebook. “We reiterate our demands: Release the tapes, appoint a special prosecutor with no grand jury for Jamar Clark's case, and institute a safety plan to protect Minneapolis resident's (sic) from continued police violence. We will not be intimidated or silenced. We have nothing to lose but our chains. We ready, we comin'.”