Four protesters who staged a sit-in at the Target store in Dinkytown during the height of Operation Metro Surge were arraigned on trespassing charges on Friday, March 27.
“Our community was horrified. Families were shaken. Workers felt unsafe. Target said nothing,” Jerry Halsten, one of the protesters charged, said during a news conference Friday afternoon at the Hennepin County Government Center an hour before their arraignment. Halsten is charged along with Aaron Shine, Stephanie Wells and Terri Grina for trespassing on the Target store premises.
On Feb. 11, a group of about 25 protestors picketed outside the store before staging a sit-in at the entrance. They were stopped by Minneapolis police and then escorted off the property.
The protest came at the heels of the arrest of two U.S. citizen Target employees — including a 17-year-old — in a Richfield store. Both were tackled to the ground, handcuffed and detained. They were released in separate locations after being driven around by ICE agents.
A Jan. 11 video showing then-Border Control commander Greg Bovino at a Target store also drew backlash.
Halsten said that the protesters staged the protest calling for Target to condemn those arrests and to demand that Target stop allowing ICE agents access to its stores and parking lots without a warrant.
“It speaks volumes that instead of choosing to speak out against the administration or what was done to their employees, they’re choosing to pursue litigation here with peaceful protesters,” Luis Argueta from Unidos MN, which organized the news conference, said.
“We’re expecting, as a Minnesota company, for it to stand by its people and not the government.” Unidos MN is among the organizations that have been calling for a Target boycott since last year.
Jessica West, the lawyer representing the four protesters, said that the “criminalization of peaceful arrest is troubling.” She added that the charges were brought on by Target and if they stand, could lead to jail time, fines, probation, and/or community service.
Sahan Journal reached out to Target but has not received a response. Target has not made any public comments addressing the arrest of its employees or its policies regarding ICE access to its property.
In December, activists and community leaders addressed a crowd of protesters at the Target store on E. Lake Street, calling on the corporation to take a stand or face a nationwide boycott.
Target continues to face boycott calls from Minnesota as well as national groups over its lack of response to Operation Metro Surge. The Minnesota-based corporation was already facing backlash from local community activists and leaders for its rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives after President Donald Trump began his second term.
