November 15, 2017 10:41 AM

Protesters blocked roads and caused significant holiday traffic delays around the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday after staging a rally that briefly shut down part of the nation's largest mall.



Police said eight people were arrested at the airport in relation to the protest, where officials said access to one of two terminals was blocked, causing backups on nearby roads. Some protesters took a light-rail train to the airport from the Mall of America, where protesters started the Black Lives Matter rally to bring attention to a recent police shooting of a black man in Minneapolis. Five arrests were made at the mall; one arrest was unrelated to the protest and because of an outstanding warrant.

A Black Lives Matter activist says the Mall of America was used as "a decoy" to start a protest that quickly moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.



Hoping to draw attention to a recent police shooting of a black man in Minneapolis, hundreds of protesters briefly gathered inside the nation's largest shopping mall before abruptly walking out.



Some protesters then went to a nearby light-rail train station to head to the airport, where demonstrators temporarily blocked access to a terminal.



Miski Noor, a protest organizer, says "the mall was a decoy." She said she believes it was effective.



Gov. Mark Dayton questioned the need for such a demonstration, noting that federal and state investigations are ongoing into the death of Jamar Clark, who was shot by Minneapolis police responding to an assault complaint. Dayton said releasing video of officers' altercation with Clark could jeopardize the investigations.



About 500 protesters initially gathered at the Mall of America early Wednesday afternoon, then abruptly walked out while chanting, "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!" Protesters peacefully went to a nearby light-rail train station that allowed quick access to the airport a few miles away.



Dozens of stores closed their gates, kiosks were covered and even Santa left his sleigh shortly before protesters gathered at the massive shopping district on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Numerous signs were posted on mall property, saying no protests were allowed - including a long message on a screen in a central rotunda between two Christmas trees.



Police quickly closed the mall's main entrances and threatened arrests.