Jesse Ventura mingles with protesters as hundreds turn out for demonstration

One of many protests across the world inspired by "Occupy Wall Street" began Friday in Minneapolis, with hundreds of demonstrators arriving downtown to occupy Government Plaza.
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Hundreds of people arrived in downtown Minneapolis on Friday morning as the OccupyMN demonstration ramped up. Among them, the Star Tribune reports, was none other than former Gov. Jesse Ventura.

OccupyMN is broadcasting a livestream of the event:

Police say they're fine with the event and expect things will go peacefully. "They're nice people," Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek tells the Star Tribune. "They've got a mission. We've got a job to do."

They did set some ground rules: No tents, no campfires or barbecues, and no alcohol. But, the Star Tribune reports, authorities will let occupying protesters sleep overnight on the plaza. (No barbecues? But how do hungry protesters eat, you ask? The Heavy Table has the answer.)

WCCO reports about 1,000 people from across the Midwest are expected to attend the demonstration, which will likely spread beyond Government Plaza into other parts of downtown.

The protest is one of many across the world inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstration in New York City.

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