March 10, 2015
Green Party of Minnesota.
#BlackLivesMatter.
Members of the Green Party were privileged to be in attendance at this morning's courthouse demonstration in solidarity with the #MOA11 as well as the other 25 MOA demonstrators that have been charged.
The Green Party supports the Black Lives Matter movement in Minnesota addressing systemic injustice and the possibilities for a better world, as it has since its inception.
We join the Black Lives Matter Minneapolis call for Bloomington City Attorney Sandra Johnson to drop the retaliatory charges against the #MOA11 and all individuals charged in association with the peaceful demonstration at the Mall of America.
As long as such charges stand, we support the Black Lives Minneapolis call for a Boycott of the Mall of America.
And we join in the sentiments of organizer Lena Gardner, who reminded us this morning that this movement is about love.
"Freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment of the Constitution and citizens should have the right to non-violent peaceful protest, of which this was a clear example. I think that for a public servant who receives her salary from the tax payers to be in collusion with foreign-owned private business against citizen's exercising their freedom of speech in peaceful protest is abhorrent." -Amber Garlan, Chair of the Green Party of Minnesota