Native Lives Matters protesters blocked by police
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About 40 people protesting last year's fatal shooting of Philip Quinn by St. Paul Police officers were blocked by police and told to disperse in St. Paul on Saturday.
The protest, organized by Native Lives Matter, included a rally and march from Indian Mounds Park to St. Paul police headquarters. Protesters had also planned to march to the Crashed Ice event in downtown St. Paul.
But several dozen police officers met the protesters as they turned from Mounds Boulevard onto Seventh Street, blocking their route. Police also had horses and more than a dozen squad cars along with a bus full of officers to stop protesters.
J.R. Bobick, an organizer with Native Lives Matter, says he was surprised by the police response.
"It was kind of sad that they didn't let us march. We were going to go down to the police station, but I think we got our point across very clear. They even shut down all the roads, they shut down everything around us. They know who Phil Quinn is. They know what happened. They know it's wrong," Bobick said.
A grand jury cleared the officer who shot Quinn earlier this month.
Police escorted the protesters back towards Indian Mounds Park, where the rally started. Police say no arrests were made during Saturday's protests.
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