Black Lives Matter Friday – Major St. Louis Mall Disrupted and Shut Down
By Larry Everest and revcom.us/Revolution supporters in Ferguson | November 28, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
On one of the biggest shopping days of the Christmas season, Black Friday, hundreds of people of all nationalities shut down one of the largest shopping centers in the St. Louis area – The Galleria in Richmond Heights—for a least an hour when police stopped people from coming into the parking lot, disrupted shopping as usual for most of the afternoon–and opened a lot of eyes. Black Friday was turned into “Black Lives Matter” Friday.
After gathering outside in the Mall parking lot, about 100 people streamed inside. The protest grew in size to number several hundred. Chants of “No justice No Peace,” “If Mike don’t get it, shut it down,” “Indict, convict send the killer cop to jail the whole damn system is guilty as hell” could be heard reverberating through this exclusive shopping center. People held die-ins – at least one for 4 and a half minutes–a minute for each hour Michael Brown’s dead body lay on Canfield Avenue–speak outs, and marched throughout the walkways while shoppers took fliers and Revolution newspapers.
The central dome rang with chants as people went from floor to floor–"Stop shopping, join the movement," "No Black Friday shopping," “Who shuts shit down - we shut shit down” – sometimes encircling the entire level of the central rotunda. The protest went on from about 1pm to 2pm, and then resumed later at another mall. There was an energetic, determined spirit that the struggle for Justice for Mike Brown and against police murder had to go on!
Die in at St. Louis Mall. Photo: Special to revcom.us
Only one shopper I saw vocally expressed irritation at not being able to shop. Most people were watching – and when I stopped a number of Black youth and told them what was going on, there was a lot of support – including for the idea that it was going to take a revolution to change anything. Interestingly, when I was talking with one group, an older white woman who worked at the mall stopped to listen – and she too wanted a copy of Revolution. “That sounds right.” One young white couple we met on the way told us this was their first protest, but they’d been meaning to come out for Michael Brown since August, and they too were very open to hearing about the bigger picture and the need for fundamental, revolutionary change.
Disrupting Black Friday at Ferguson Walmart. Photo: Special to revcom.us
Earlier in the day - starting at 7am - Earlier in the day people had been out in front of Walmart’s with signs: Ferguson is Everywhere -Police Brutality and Murder Must Stop, No Shopping as Usual, Black Lives Matter Friday. There were also protests at a St. Louis area Target store. The protests drew a lot of media and got major national and international coverage. At one point people marched all the way through Walmart. The actions took place in the face of threatening police and security presence. One journalist told us that the store, which had a heavy police and undercover presence outside, was telling customers that the bargain items they were looking for had been sent elsewhere. A number of those coming out were very open to the No Black Friday/ Black Lives Matter message.
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