The Black Lives Matter protest group shut down part of the Mall of America Saturday afternoon.
The group protested the deaths of two unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers during one of the busiest shopping days of the year, according to CBS Local.
The group's Facebook page said 3,000 people would attend the protest at the Mall of America.
Official crowd estimates were not available, but protest organizer Mica Grimm said she believed about 3,000 participants showed up, The New York Times reported.
During the time of the protest, the Mall of America increased security, and certain sections of the mall shut down. Some entrances had signs that read the east side of the mall was on lockdown.
About 30 minutes into the protest, protesters received a final warning to disperse, and police dressed in riot gear started clearing the rotunda.
While several protesters left the mall, others staged "die-ins" in front of several stores and occupied two levels.
Protest organizers issued a mass group text message about an hour later telling participants to leave the mall as the police escorted them out.
During the demonstration, protesters chanted variants of "Hands up, don't shoot," "While you're on a shopping spree, black people can't breathe," and "No justice, no shopping," according to CBS Local.
Prior to the protest, the mall released a statement warning protesters against the demonstration because it violated its policy, the NY Times reported.
"Mall of America is a commercial retail and entertainment center," the mall's management said. "We respect the right to free speech, but Mall of America is private property and not a forum for protests, demonstrations or public debates."
