Rally brings protesters to the gates of the Minnesota State Fair

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A protest Saturday evening brought marchers along Snelling Avenue to the front gates of the Minnesota State Fair.

The rally started around 4 p.m. with marchers moving into the road around 5 p.m., forcing police to block off lanes over the following couple of hours.

The protest brought together several groups including Black Lives Matter, Justice for Jamar, and Justice for Marcus Golden, among other groups.

One of the organizers Saturday was Monique Cullars, the aunt of Marcus Golden who was shot and killed by St. Paul police officers in 2015.

"In response to that, I’ve been doing activism work and trying to support other families," said Cullars.

Part of the activism is taking the Black Lives Matter message to the streets.

After starting at Hamline Park off Snelling, the group shut down parts of Snelling Avenue and the Green Line Light Rail at the university for a short time.

Then they headed north with their sights set on the state fair. The sister of Isak Aden, who died in an officer-involved shooting in Eagan in July, said she wishes none of these families had to come together like this, but that they won’t stay quiet.

"I'd come here all the time with my older bro Isak and I can’t do that anymore," said Sumaya Aden. "Even coming here is very traumatic, so it’s not something we enjoy doing; we don’t like disturbing people, but it’s a necessity."