Mpls police arrest 7 at US Bank protest

OccupyMN protesters
OccupyMN protesters rally outside the US Bank Plaza in Minneapolis, Minn. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. They are calling for a moratorium on home foreclosures.
MPR Photo/Brandt Williams

Minneapolis police reported Thursday afternoon that seven protesters were arrested after they were given orders to move from the intersection at 2nd Ave. and 6th St.

About 60 OccupyMN protesters gathered in the morning outside the US Bank building in downtown Minneapolis to call for a moratorium on home foreclosures. Protesters said they want bank executives held accountable for their role in the country's foreclosure crisis.

They also protested the Hennepin County policy that prohibits them from sleeping in tents overnight. Last weekend, sheriff's deputies confiscated tents set up by protesters.

Steve Fletcher, from the group Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, said the banks use the sheriff's office to evict people from foreclosed homes.

"Our government has a choice to make about whether its going to represent us or whether it's going to represent the banks," Fletcher said.

Protesters set up several clear plastic tents on the sidewalk outside the US Bank building.

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