Protesters demonstrate in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Protestors walk past Pazzaluna Restaurant as people demonstrate in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Demonstrators chant in front of the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
A driver gives his thumbs up as demonstrators line the median and the sidewalk along Kellogg Boulevard in front of the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Demonstrators hold up signs as they line the median and the sidewalk along Kellogg Boulevard in front of the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Protestors enact a 61 second moment of silence and die in on Kellogg Boulevard in front the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall as people on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. St. Paul Police Department and Ramsey County Sheriff's Deputies movied in to clear what had been a peaceful protest. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Two Ramsey County Sheriff Deputies arrest a black protester in front of the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall as people gathered demonstrate on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
A St. Paul Police Officer orders members of the media back as St. Paul Police and Ramsey County Sheriff Officers move in to break up a peaceful protest as people demonstrate in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Protesters hold up signs as St. Paul Police Officer's march back to their vehicles after breaking up a peaceful demonstration in front of the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death by a St. Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
A sign is attached to the Kellogg Boulevard entrance at the Ramsey County Court House and St. Paul City Hall after a peaceful protest was dispersed by St. Paul Police Officers and Ramsey County Sheriff Deputies. People were demonstrating in downtown St. Paul on the two month anniversary of Philando Castile's death. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
More than 100 people gathered for a rally outside St. Paul City Hall on Tuesday afternoon, the two-month anniversary of a St. Anthony police officer fatally shooting motorist Philando Castile in Falcon Heights.
Shortly before 5:30 p.m., protesters blocked traffic at Kellogg Boulevard and Wabasha Street. They marched in the streets downtown for about 25 minutes before ending up in Rice Park.
Speakers addressed the group — they mourned Castile, a cafeteria supervisor at J.J. Hill Montessori Magnet School in St. Paul; said they wanted the officer who killed him to be charged; and talked about systemic changes to law enforcement.
“Everybody out here wants change,” said John Thompson, who worked with Castile and considered him a friend. “… At some point, they’re going to have to stop killing us.”
When the group returned to the sidewalk outside City Hall, St. Paul police officers arrived. A police commander told them the unpermitted event was an unlawful assembly and said anyone who didn’t leave would be arrested. Police arrested one man, 19-year-old Elijah Lartey, on suspicion of terroristic threats.
During the march in the street, some people “became physically aggressive and verbally aggressive toward drivers trying to navigate the roadway at the time,” said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a police spokesman. Lartey was “threatening a motorist during the roadway blockage,” according to Ernster.
The rally was scheduled to last from 4 to 10 p.m., but people left the City Hall area after police ordered them to at 6:30 p.m.
The Justice Occupation for Philando, which led the protest outside the Governor’s Residence in the weeks after Castile was killed, said it was hosting Tuesday’s event.
“(O)ur community will have to bear the heartbreaking burden of watching the second-month anniversary of Philando’s murder become reality,” according to the rally’s event description on Facebook. “Now the stakes are higher than ever as we await the public announcement of verdict in Philando’s murder. The Ramsey County Attorney’s office has decided to announce this with a deadline of September 15th.”
However, the Ramsey County attorney’s office said it has not announced a deadline — the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues to investigate and has not presented the case to prosecutors to consider charges against St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, according to the county attorney’s spokesman.
“I know many people in our community feel a sense of urgency about this situation and want it resolved as soon as possible, but putting an artificial timeline on the investigation will not do it justice,” Choi said in a letter to the community Tuesday. “I have spoken to the Superintendent of the BCA, the agency handling the investigation, and he assured me they are making this investigation a top priority. I have asked for a prompt and thorough investigation. Both of these goals are equally important to ensuring the integrity of this case.”