Rashad Turner, who led Black Lives Matter St. Paul as it attempted to distinguish itself from similar groups and call east metro attention to racial injustice, announced Saturday he is leaving the group.

Turner was with Black Lives Matter St. Paul for about a year and a half. The group began to attract public attention around this time last year, when it helped orchestrate the “Black Fair” protest that briefly shut down access to the Minnesota State Fair. As a group, it has sought to be kept distinct from Black Lives Matters Minneapolis.

Turner said he became uncomfortable with his affiliation to the national Black Lives Matter movement when its leadership issued a call to end charter schools. It did so this summer, claiming charter schools perpetuate unequal federal funding and further racial disparities.

Turner, who recently earned his masters in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University, said he believes charter schools give families greater choice about where to send their children to school, and so wasn’t certain his views were in keeping with those of BLM.

Turner said the rise of other social justice groups, such as AR14 for Justice, helped him feel at ease with stepping away from Black Lives Matter St. Paul.

“It definitely made me more comfortable,” he said. “Anytime you put your heart and soul into something, it’s hard to leave it, but definitely, other groups have stepped up, so I’m comfortable with where things are at.”

In fact, Turner sees the increase in social justice protests, demonstrations and calls to action as evidence that Black Lives Matter St. Paul helped “get people off their couches and get off their computers and actually get out into the community.”

“The thing I’m most proud of is how we’ve set the tone,” he said. “We got people involved and engaged enough to the point where they’re ready to take action. A lot of groups have started up in this past year and they’re ready to start making changes.”