Mall of America not backing down from #ItsMyMall

Officials with the Mall of America said they won't back down from a marketing campaign that backfired earlier this week after activists critical of the mall adopted the campaign's hashtag.

The #ItsMyMall campaign was announced on Twitter Monday by Mall of America Senior Vice President Jill Enslow. Those sharing personal stories of the mall with the hashtag would qualify for a $500 weekly prize.

The Mall of America's goal was to "give voice to other fans of the mall" to express why the shopping center is important to them, according to a statement sent to MPR News by a mall spokesperson.

But the marketing campaign only gained steam online Tuesday after being adopted by critics of the mall, who object to the mall's role in investigating and prosecuting the organizers of a protest there in December.

"We recognize that some individuals are trying to redirect this campaign for their own purposes. That's unfortunate, but it will not impact our efforts," according to the mall's statement.

The mall's statement said the campaign was developed following the release of an al-Shabab propaganda video last month that mentioned the Mall of America as a possible location for a terror attack.

Members of the group Black Lives Matter Minneapolis organized a Dec. 20 protest of at least 1,500 people at the mall following the killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York by police officers.

The protest was peaceful and there was no property damage during the demonstration, although 26 arrests were made. The Bloomington city attorney has since filed charges against protest organizers that include trespassing, disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly.

Black Lives Matter and the group's supporters have called for a boycott of the mall and for the charges to be dropped.