Protesters snarl rush-hour traffic, denounce Trump, urge $15 minimum wage

Voices of protest rose high once again when dusk fell Monday in downtown Minneapolis.

The group of 150 to 200 people snarled rush-hour traffic in some spots but stayed peaceful — both protesters and police, who were leading and following the group.

Several causes were represented: rallying for a $15 minimum wage, denouncing President Donald Trump and his immigration policies, supporting Black Lives Matter and denouncing law enforcement actions at the pipeline protests in North Dakota.

At the group's final stop outside Hennepin County jail, demonstrators hurled insults at the Sheriff's Department and the city of Minneapolis. Protesters said they wanted both entities to protect immigrants and refugees and stop targeting black residents.

"It doesn't end with impeaching Donald Trump," one of the speechmakers said. "It ends with dismantling the entire system."

The march, which started at Peavey Plaza at 11th Street and Nicollet Mall at 5 p.m., wound through downtown Minneapolis to the Target Center, then to Wells Fargo headquarters. Protesters then marched north on Marquette Avenue to 6th Street, then circled City Hall.

"This is not anti-Trump, this is anti-establishment," said one young woman on a bullhorn. "We are against the way the government has run for centuries."

She said societal phobias are nothing new and are perpetuated by law enforcement action. The woman, who said her family is from Liberia, said three members of her relatives have been deported in the past two years.

The protest was organized by Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, 15 Now Minnesota, Socialist Alternative, CAIR, Native Lives Matter, Young Muslim Collective, Waite House (Pillsbury United Communities), Navigate MN and CTUL (Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha).

Organizers had estimated that more than 1,700 people would attend. By 7 p.m., there were about 200.

Pat Pheifer • 612-673-7252