Violent Protests and Fires Erupt in Minneapolis as Protesters Demand Justice for George Floyd

Meaghan Ellis May 28, 2020
8 Comments

Violent protests are escalating in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Photos and footage of the events that took place on Wednesday night are circulating on social media. The metropolitan city has been ravaged for the last roughly 48 hours.

Frustrated protesters can be seen demonstrating with signs, vandalizing buildings, looting stores, and torching businesses, demanding Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to hold the officers accountable for Floyd’s untimely death in police custody.

According to multiple reports, an AutoZone location was set on fire Wednesday night and a Target store has been looted.

Floyd’s death has yet again shined a light on racial tension in the United States. Protests have escalated to the point where Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has taken precautionary measures, requesting the presence of the National Guard.

As protests intensify, so do the calls for charges to be brought against the four officers involved.

On Wednesday, Frey released another statement calling for the arrest now-terminated officer Derek Chauvin while pressing Freeman to file criminal charges. Chauvin is the officer seen with his knee pinned into Floyd’s neck during the arrest, as previously reported on IJR.

“I’ve wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?” Frey said. “If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now. And I cannot come up with a good answer to that.”

Freeman’s office has released a statement about the status of the investigation as he responded to the public outcry for charges to be brought against the officers involved.

“We are working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner to expeditiously gather and review all of the evidence in the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd,” Freeman’s office said in a statement.

Freeman’s office concluded, “The videotaped death of Mr. Floyd, which has outraged us and people across the country, deserves the best we can give and that is what this office will do.”

Categories: IJR
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Responses

  1. Morte206 May 28, 2020

    No common sense being displayed by a rightly furious crowd.
    Looting, vandalism of property both public and private, and arson are not going to accomplish anything positive.

    1. Ed May 28, 2020

      Well, except for when it does result in positive change. Sometimes it happens. When it works out, it can even become celebrated. The Boston and Annapolis Tea Parties are a perfect example of vandalism and arson helping to accomplish positive results.

      I’m not saying that the actions in Minneapolis are justified, but we certainly have a history in our country of breaking stuff when we feel like we’re being abused.

  2. john May 28, 2020

    This is what happens when Caucasian trash ass holes endlessly treat African Americans like shit with impunity.

    1. Charles May 28, 2020

      What, they start burning down buildings and stealing shit? That explains a whole lot dont it. WADA!

    2. David May 28, 2020

      Why don’t they storm the police station or the Mayor’s office? Why would they trash charter schools and burn public housing in primarily black neighborhoods? Self destruction doesn’t seem like a reasonable response to a clearly reprehensible act by the police officers responsible. Just saying.

      1. john May 29, 2020

        Ask an African America living in inner city America David.

        I am Caucasian so I cannot speak from the African American experience.

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