The St. Paul chapter of Black Lives Matter is planning a protest for Sunday at the finish line of the Twin Cities Marathon, according to CBS Minnesota.
Leaders of the movement say they plan to prevent runners from completing the 26-mile run. (RELATED: https://dailycaller.com/2015/09/18/black-lives-announce-plans-to-shut-down-minnesota-vikings-home-opener/)
“My hope is the marathon runners realize they’re not going to be able to finish this race and instead of being angry and complaining, that they join in in the protest and stand in solidarity because justice is all we are asking for,” Rashad Turner said, organizer of the upcoming protest.
The protest will take place about a mile before the finish line, CBS Minnesota reports.
“We don’t plan on having any physical contact with runners, but we do plan to make ourselves the finish line,” Turner said. (RELATED: Minnesota Protesters Chant ‘Pigs In A Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon’)
The St. Paul chapter of Black Lives Matter has organized a variety of protests in Minnesota, including a rally at the Mall of America and a shutdown of a Minneapolis highway.
According to Joe Tamburino, criminal defense attorney in St. Paul, this protest will be different since protesters plan on physically entering the race.
Turner organized the event around the marathon in order strike a financial loss to Twin Cities in Motion, the group that organizes the Twin Cities Marathon.
“There’s a lot of money involved. Unfortunately, we live in a country where the right people don’t create change until their money is affected,” Turner said.
The protest is in response to a recent arrest of 15-year-old Tyree Tucker by a St. Paul police officer. Tucker was arrested earlier this month for disorderly conduct after allegedly standing up to a police officer who was disrespecting Tucker’s mother. The arrest was caught on video and community members are calling it a forceful arrest. (RELATED: https://dailycaller.com/2015/08/08/black-lives-matter-storms-in-takes-over-bernie-sanders-event-in-seattle/)
Law enforcement officials are carefully preparing for the protest and have yet to determine the best course of action.
Tamburino said the City of St. Paul and the police department have a difficult decision ahead of them.
Minneapolis has a specific city ordinance that does not allow interference with a parade or race, according to Tamburino. However, St. Paul does not have that specific ordinance.
Protesters could be charged with disorderly conduct for disrupting a city event.
Tamburino thinks this protest could give the Black Lives Matter movement some momentum, depending on how law enforcement officials deal with protesters.
“If a city decides not to prosecute conduct that could be charged and they continually look the other way, then any group can protest and say, ‘wait a minute, you’ve never enforced this law before,” Tamburino said.
St. Paul police officers have rarely arrested protesters at Black Lives Matter rallies throughout the state, according to Tamburino.
Turner said his organization is prepared to deal with possible arrests.
The marathon begins Sunday at 8 a.m., with 12,000 runners participating.