Black Lives Matter to protest at Gov. Dayton's residence

BlackFair protestors walked down Como Ave.
BlackFair protestors walked down Como Ave. before heading to the main gates at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul Aug. 29, 2015.
Courtney Perry for MPR News

Updated: 6 p.m. | Posted: 4:24 p.m.

Black Lives Matter St. Paul is planning another protest just three days after a large march outside of the Minnesota State Fair.

This time the group plans to meet outside Gov. Mark Dayton's residence to demand he address social and economic injustice. A note on the Black Lives Matter's Facebook event page also says the group is responding to the governor's comments of last week calling a protest at the fair "inappropriate."

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"Hopefully he'll be man enough to come out and listen," the group's event page said. So far 66 people said they plan to meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Dayton's press secretary Matt Swenson said Black Lives Matter protesters are welcome to practice their free speech and assembly rights.

"Any individual or organization has a First Amendment right to protest on the public space in front of the Governor's Residence," he said in a statement. "So long as they abide by the ordinances of the City of St. Paul."

About 325 people shut down Snelling Avenue from Hamline Park to the State Fairgrounds for about three hours Saturday as Black Lives Matter protesters alleged racial discrimination against fair vendors and overall economic disparities in St. Paul.

Fair officials said the protest didn't have much of an impact on fair operations, but St. Paul Police Federation officials called one chant lasting less than a minute "outrageous and disgusting."

"The leaders of Saturday's BLM march chanted 'pigs in a blanket fry them like bacon,'" President David Titus wrote on the federation Facebook page. "Quite simply — that promotes death to cops."

Protesters didn't have a permit to close down Snelling Avenue, but police dedicated resources to escort them safely, Titus said in his post. "Rank and file cops feel it very unfortunate that the march inconvenienced many Fairgoers."

City of St. Paul public assembly ordinances require groups of 25 or more to obtain a permit from the police chief before holding meetings, demonstrations, parades or rallies.

Many of the large Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the past were held without permits including the Interstate 35W and the Mall of America gatherings. A number of Mall of America protesters still face unlawful assembly charges filed by Bloomington city attorney.