Six people were arrested Friday night at Carty Park in St. Paul's Summit-University neighborhood on what was intended to be the first night of a 14-day protest encampment.
Awareness and Resistance 14, a social justice organization started last week to continue protests over the police killing of Philando Castile, held a rally and march Friday evening that ended at the city park. The group, founded by 14 local youths, said it's focused on educating new activists about black revolutionaries who paved the way for current protesters.
Organizers released a schedule outlining activities for the next two weeks at the park, where demonstrators intended to sleep overnight in tents. A nightly movie was planned for dusk.
Officers arrived at 11 p.m. Friday, the park's closing time, and issued dispersal orders to 30 to 40 young people, said St. Paul Police spokesman Steve Linders. Police found supplies that "indicated they planned to take part in an encampment," which is against city regulations, he said.
The majority of the group left peacefully. Six people were arrested and cited for violating city ordinances, two of whom were booked into Ramsey County Correctional Facility for having outstanding warrants or because they'd previously been involved in illegal protest activities, Linders said.
Organizers accused the police of storming the gathering and throwing away "all our curriculum, resources, artwork and thousands of dollars worth of personal property, as well as donated supplies," according to the group's AR14 for Justice Facebook page.
Linders said that "anything of value," including tents and personal belongings, is available for pickup at the St. Paul impound lot.
By 2 p.m. Saturday, several people returned to Carty, sometimes known as People's Park, to continue activities. No further arrests were made as of Sunday evening, Linders said.
