Kelly Chieng arrested for trespassing, resisting arrest during protest at Opry Mills

33-year-old Kelly Chieng was one of multiple individuals taken into custody after a protest at Opry Mills Mall on December 23rd. Opry Mills Mall personnel and authorities were notified about a planned protest on private property weeks before it occurred. On December 18th, Jad Murphy, an agent for the property, called the protest organizer, Ayesha Kahn, to inform her to stay away, stating he did not consent to a protest. On December 23rd, Kahn and others from her group entered the Mall, refusing to speak with Murphy as he asked them to leave the property. Then, he reapproached the group with officers to ask them to leave; Kahn initially refused, stepped outside, and began organizing a group of protesters on the scene. Officers requested that the protesters get in their vehicles and leave the premises. They told them that failing to leave would result in trespassing, but Kahn and her group, including Chieng, failed to leave and were detained. Chieng ignored commands and actively resisted until being placed into custody for criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.