Summit Avenue closed again after brief opening
St. Paul police cleared out an encampment outside the governor's mansion early Tuesday, about a week after protesters took to the streets and began occupying part of Summit Avenue following the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile.
Protesters say about 70 were camped out when the raid happened. But by early morning, two dozen remained. Some slept on the sidewalk and others huddled around in blankets.
They say they don't plan to leave until they get justice for Castile, who was shot by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights.
Police said they told protesters around 2 a.m. they could no longer block traffic on Summit Avenue and could stay on the sidewalk after cleanup.
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But protesters said police officers outnumbered demonstrators in an intimidating way. They say police corralled them in a circle and used garbage trucks to haul away tents, food and water.
Jorge Vargas said he tried to negotiate with police before the raid happened.
"For them to move in like that and for them to all of a sudden act that way, it's not only disrespectful, it goes against our civil rights," he said. "We were here not causing any trouble, we weren't here looting places, we were here just making a statement."
Police demands weren't exactly clear to protesters. They said at first police said they could retrieve their belongings later and that it was OK to stay on the sidewalk. Others outside the perimeter said they were told they couldn't go back in to join the protest because those demonstrators were subject to arrest.
Malik Rochelle said he was arrested and taken to jail then released with a disorderly conduct ticket. He said he left the protest site and got arrested when he tried to rejoin.
"This is a movement that's not going to move for nobody," Rochelle said when he came back to the site early Tuesday morning.
St. Paul police tweeted in the middle of the night they had reopened Summit Avenue, which had been closed since protesters began camping out there after Castile's shooting last week.
But about 20 minutes later police closed it back between Chatsworth and Oxford streets. Pedestrians and bikers were able to enter the perimeter again by early morning, but vehicles couldn't.
On Monday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman didn't say what officials planned to do about the ongoing demonstration and said he would "take it day by day."
Officials have not yet said why they decided to clear out the encampment Tuesday.