How police aim to keep confrontations down as they brace for more Yanez protests

Police are bracing for the possibility of more protests Tuesday as the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension plans to release dashcam video showing former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez killing Philando Castile as Castile sat in his car.

But police also are hoping that the approach they used to handle protests the night following the jury acquittal of Yanez will continue to keep the number of arrests low and impact on traffic down.

On Friday, protesters marched for hours from the state Capitol through St. Paul streets. They interrupted service on the Green Line, and filed past the St. Paul school where Castile worked as a lunchroom manager. Around 10:30 p.m., they made their way onto Interstate 94, bringing traffic to a halt in both directions.

Only then did law enforcement really make their presence felt. A line of state troopers blocked demonstrators as they tried to head east toward downtown St. Paul. John Davis was part of a group that troopers herded toward an exit ramp. Those who took the exit were told they would not be arrested.

"It's been a controlled march forward, like they are slowly pushing us back. So far there's been no use of force, but there's a show of force," Davis said. "It's a bunch of college kids. It's not like people with stones and Molotov cocktails."

It would be another hour and a half before police began arresting people, and that was after multiple orders to disperse. Among those taken into custody were two journalists, including City Pages reporter Susan Du.

Du had left her press ID in her backpack, and said she didn't want to escalate the situation by arguing with the arresting officer.

"Police were already frustrated after having been disobeyed for two hours straight. They were looking to possibly make an example of the people who stayed behind to the very end," Du said. "And I did not want to be caught disobeying them, angering them anymore than they were already mad because that could've ended very poorly."

The State Patrol says troopers arrested 18 people Friday night. That was far fewer than the 47 taken into custody during an I-94 protest last July in the days after Castile was killed.

That night, police used smoke bombs and tear gas to clear the road. Five officers were hurt after some in the crowd hurled rocks and other objects at them.

The State Patrol declined to comment on its response, but St. Paul Police Cmdr. Joshua Lego said things went more smoothly this time around. He says the protesters were peaceful overall, though there were some objects thrown when police began making arrests.

"This past Friday was light years more effectively handled than last year because we were able to clear the interstate for traffic much more promptly. And nobody was hurt. No officers were injured. No persons were injured. And we didn't have to use any of the specialized equipment that we keep in reserve," Lego said.

Lego also says there was better coordination between law enforcement agencies.

State Rep. Nick Zerwas says officers' jobs would be easier if there were tougher penalties for shutting down freeways. This year the Elk River Republican tried unsuccessfully to push through legislation that would do just that. Zerwas says freeway demonstrations are dangerous, and it's fortunate that no one was injured trying to stop 60-mph traffic.

"The best way to deter this type of activity is to make sure the individuals that are arrested have a stiff penalty, and that's why I proposed the criminal penalty increase to a gross misdemeanor for those who decide to block traffic and close down a freeway," Zerwas said, adding he'll try to bring the bill up again.

Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat who opposed Zerwas' proposal, said law enforcement's measured response kept things from spiraling out of control. He said the State Patrol and St. Paul Police Department "performed with admirable restraint and kept matters as peaceful and constrained as possible."