The main entrance to the Minnesota State Fair was closed for more than an hour Saturday afternoon while people protested near the intersection of Snelling Avenue and Midway Parkway, close to Gate 5.
A statement from fair officials confirmed that the entrance closed at 1:08 p.m. “due to a demonstration” and reopened at 2:32 p.m. St. Paul Police Sgt. Toy Vixayvong described the protest as peaceful and said it happened “without incident.”
While the gate was closed, staffers encouraged fairgoers to use other entrances to get into the fair. Some buses that used the gate were temporarily halted.
The protest was the 10th annual demonstration held at the State Fair to champion different causes. At least 10 groups signed onto a news release announcing the event and issuing a wide array of demands, including state divestiture from Israel, community oversight of police and stronger protections for LGBTQ people.
Monique Cullars-Doty, who is active in the Black Lives Matter movement, began the event after her nephew, Marcus Golden, was killed by St. Paul police in 2015. She recalled thinking, “I would be at the fair with my nephew, and now he’s gone.” Knowing that St. Paul police patrol near the area, she hoped the event would remind them of Golden.
Cullars-Doty said this year’s event included a balloon release to honor the two children killed Wednesday in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.
