Throw the book at them.
The St. Louis Galleria closed for about a half hour Friday afternoon after seven people were arrested during a Black Friday protest.
Among those arrested was state Rep. Bruce Franks Jr.
The protesters arrived shortly after 2 p.m. at the shopping mall. They walked through chanting, “Shut it down.” Some stores closed their doors and pulled down their security gates, in some cases trapping customers inside.
A large police presence surrounded the area.
Richmond Heights police announced that the protesters should disperse by 2:25, or they would start making arrests. When police moved in to arrest one person, Franks questioned the officers and he was thrown to the floor and his hands tied behind back. The seven arrested, one woman and six men, were handcuffed and lined up near the White House/Black Market store on the second floor of the mall.
The mall closed about 2:40 p.m., but was open again by 3:20 p.m after most protesters left the area.
The protest was part of an economic boycott effort announced by African-American clergy and activists over issues from police treatment of blacks to bank loan practices to infrastructure neglect in the northern part of St. Louis.