Chesterfield Mall became the latest in a trio of shopping center closures following a full day of demonstrations in response to the grand jury decision not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown.
It would join the ranks of The Galleria and West County Mall. All three suffered the inconvenience of being forced to temporarily shut its doors on Black Friday – arguably the busiest shopping day of the year.
Suspicious eyes of observant shoppers, security and police gave second (and third) glances at the influx of black faces that sat throughout the food court of Chesterfield Mall given the circumstances of the day. For nearly 30 minutes, demonstrators sat quietly. In an attempt not to be conspicuous, some ordered items. Others sat anxiously waiting for their cue.
At around 7 p.m., the first of many chants would kick off an hour-long protest that would stretch to just about every corner of the three-level shopping center.
“No Justice, No Peace,” and “Hey, hey…ho, ho…these killer cops have got to go,” the chants continued as the few hundred protesters made their way through the mall.
Shoppers stood aside with expressions that ranged from curiosity to contempt as they watched the group disrupt the normal flow of what many consider opening day for Christmas shopping season. Employees looked on from the other side of glass and/or chained gates after hurrying to complete customer transactions and close their stores.
Protesters circled the first level before taking the escalators to make their rounds on the second level as well.
Most stores shut immediately. New York & Company, was one of the few exceptions. The store was met by masses in full chant mode who stood before them until they followed suit.
After making their way around the mall protesters prepared for their third consecutive “die-in” in a major St. Louis area shopping center.
“You wouldn’t even let a dog lay out in the middle of the street for four-and-a-half hours,” Pastor Derek Robinson said as the crowd gathered in what had become a regular routine by evenings end.
“No Justice, No Profit,” protestors said while lying on the ground followed by “black lives matter.”
They remained in the middle of the mall for 4.5 minutes to symbolize the time Brown’s body was out in the street on August 9 after being fatally wounded by Wilson.
After the allotted time, they got up and made their way around the mall once more.
“This is a world-wide revolution, and we are peaceful protesters,” Quincy Shannon said while addressing the crowd and onlookers before protesters dispersed and the demonstration concluded. “When you watch the news, they try to make it seem like we’re ignorant, like we’re crazy and we don’t know how to protest peacefully.
Look at us. Look at what we’re doing. This is proof that we can shut a mall down without looting.”
