Petering Out.

Sadly, I think the #BLM movement has run its course. They seem to be fresh out of ideas, and now are using police escorts to guide them into public events, as they chant out their frustrations with police presence.

Too bad. With a better plan, the movement might have actually accomplished something. Baby steps...

Hundreds of protesters led by the Black Lives Matter St. Paul group marched up Snelling Avenue to the gates of the State Fair on Saturday afternoon to protest racial inequities. During the demonstration, some protesters yelled chants criticizing police as they were being escorted by officers who blocked roads for the protest, said David Titus, head of the St. Paul Police Federation.

“Rank and file cops feel it very unfortunate that the march inconvenienced many fairgoers and probably had some negative economic impact on vendors and employees,” Titus said in a statement posted on the union’s Facebook page. “Nonetheless, Federation members worked within the rules outlined by city and department management to ensure everyone’s safety and freedom of speech, even though some of that speech was outrageous and disgusting.”

Titus was referring to a video posted on Twitter that showed protesters who appear to be in the front of the march and can be heard shouting, “Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon!” as the camera panned to show police on bikes, squad cars and a utility vehicle.

“Quite simply — that promotes death to cops,” Titus said in his post.
...
The lead organizer of the protest said that the chant was not a threat against officers’ lives.

“It was a chant,” said Rashad Turner, the leader of Black Lives Matter St. Paul. “I think that the crazy thing is that there’s all this uproar about rhetoric but there isn’t uproar about the facts … Just because they provide us with their self-appointed escort does not mean it erases the fact that they are the deadliest police department in the state.”

Beginning in 2009, St. Paul police have shot and killed 11 men, nine of whom were people of color. No other law enforcement agency in Minnesota has used deadly force more often over the past six years.

I don't know... if he really thinks that St. Paul police officers are so dangerous, why ask them to lead your protests down the street?

Where's the self-initiative to make change, without police guiding your movement every step of the way?
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ADDED: Public feedback:

Jerry Putzir of St. Charles, Minn., watched Saturday’s protest from inside the fairgrounds as the group filed down Como Avenue. His son is showing a steer at the fair.

“They’re just hurting themselves,” he said of the marchers. “Everyone has the right to protest, but ­people are just fed up that they’re blocking the traffic, wrecking somebody’s business and blocking the entrances. It inconveniences.”
...
The protesters marched from Hamline Park, less than 2 miles south of the main entrance, up a partly closed Snelling Avenue, enduring some heckling from onlookers and held a brief “die-in.” At one point, the crowd deviated from the announced march route and attempted to enter a Como Avenue fair entrance, which was quickly blocked by police officers on horseback and reinforced by a line of uniformed officers standing side by side inside the closed gate.
...
Traffic on Como Avenue was closed briefly during the marchers’ unsuccessful entry attempt but was soon reopened. Earlier, as a drone hovered overhead, police shut down Snelling to northbound traffic and warned marchers to stay off medians for their own safety.

As the throng crossed the Snelling Avenue bridge toward the fairgrounds, marchers sat or lay down on the roadway for a brief moment of silence.

The group announced its plans last week to disrupt operations to raise awareness about issues that plague black communities, and also to call attention to alleged disparity issues at the fair, which organizers say has not been welcoming to minority vendors or patrons.
...
The State Fair’s general manager said he offered Black Lives Matter a booth inside the fairgrounds, but Turner turned it down. He said another person secured a booth, however, and is selling Black Lives Matter materials even though he is not affiliated with Turner’s group.

From the public comments section:

jehanne • 10 minutes ago
What I saw on TV was a bunch of angry people marching and chanting "Pigs in the Blanket." Oh, really? Disgraceful. It reminds me of the Vietnam protesters who spit on returning soldiers. They have no idea how honorable and courageous it is for a soldier or for a policeman to put their lives on the line every single day in order to protect the well being of the citizens of this nation. Even those who despise them. Maybe find God in a more meaningful way and your hearts will change.