Hamilton Place closes early amid reports of impending protests

Staff photo by Mike Pare / Shoppers walk in and out of one of the entrances at Hamilton Place mall on Tuesday. Mall owner CBL Properties says 75% of stores inside the mall have reopened.
Staff photo by Mike Pare / Shoppers walk in and out of one of the entrances at Hamilton Place mall on Tuesday. Mall owner CBL Properties says 75% of stores inside the mall have reopened.

Businesses in the Hamilton Place area are closing down early as a precaution as protests ramp up in Chattanooga in response to a police officer killing a man in Minneapolis.

According to Chattanooga Police, some social media posts have suggested that protests and related activity may take place at or around Hamilton Place mall as protests crop up around town and around the nation in response to the killing of 47-year-old George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

While police have not confirmed any specifically targeted businesses, the mall closed half an hour early "out of an abundance of caution," according to Stacey Keating, a spokeswoman for CBL Properties, which owns the mall.

(READ MORE: Tweets about Minneapolis case earn Chattanooga police chief praise, scrutiny)

Keating told the Times Free Press that the mall had received "credible threats" of protests.

The threats caused concern in light of peaceful protests turning violent and producing property crimes in cities across the nation over the past week as citizens protest police.

At least five peaceful protests were scheduled for Chattanooga between Saturday and Sunday, which police say they are monitoring for safety in the event of any similar activity locally.

Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @_sarahgtaylor.

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