As downtown Minneapolis employees headed home for the weekend Friday evening, a crowd gathered on the steps of the Hennepin County Government Center, listening to about a dozen speakers.

"No Nazis, no KKK; no racist USA!" many of them shouted.

About 300 people, most of them from Twin Cities high schools, were protesting white supremacy and racism. They included students from Washburn, South and other schools who marched to Loring Park after the Government Center rally. Several from Anoka High School ditched the classic Friday night high school experience — a football game — to protest.

Nuala Cacek, an Anoka junior, said recent KKK and white supremacy events nationwide "just make me feel sick."

Other students said their generation is more "woke" and that seeing students marching through downtown Minneapolis, slowing traffic, shouldn't be a surprise.

During the mile-long trek, demonstrators wove through traffic, delaying light-rail line trains and traffic flow on Hennepin Avenue between 9th and 10th streets.

Protesters marched in downtown Minneapolis on Friday and briefly shut down traffic and light rail service.

They reached Loring Park just before 6 p.m., police said. No one was arrested.

Karen Zamora