Breaking News
Minneapolis Reeling from Week of Violence
Minneapolis, MN is at the epicenter of the unrest sweeping through U.S. cities. These riots and protests started to take place after the recent killing of an African American man in police custody. Over the past week, social unrest, violence, and looting have torn the city apart.
It all began last week when someone summoned the Minneapolis police to a corner deli to investigate a forgery in progress on Monday night. A store employee called the police because he believed a man purchased cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Police responded to find George Floyd parked outside the store in a vehicle. Officers confronted the man and the exchange ultimately led to a scuffle.
Eventually, officers tackled Floyd to the ground and handcuffed him. One officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd’s neck while he stayed restrained. In a recording of the incident, Floyd can be heard repeatedly telling Chauvin that he cannot breathe. Chauvin continued to hold his knee on Floyd’s neck even after the man fell unconscious. Floyd died at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis at 9:25 PM. He passed away less than one hour after his run-in with police.
The Roots
NEWBURYPORT – The mayor and city marshal on Sunday night issued a statement denouncing the killing of an African-American man by Minneapolis police on Monday, which sparked a week of protests and violence in dozens of cities across the country. https://t.co/pQBOgQMtsm
— Newburyport News (@newburyportnews) June 1, 2020
The backlash from Floyd’s death was swift and immediate. Videos of the altercation quickly went viral, and the incident received universal condemnation by local elected officials. By noon the next day, demonstrators began gathering at the site of Floyd’s death. Shortly after, the Minneapolis Police released a statement announcing the firing of all four officers involved in Floyd’s death.
Less than 24 hours after Floyd’s death, a local medical examiner conducted an autopsy. A postmortem toxicology test determined that Floyd was on fentanyl at the time of his arrest. Medical examiners also found signs of recent methamphetamine use. Fentanyl is a powerful opiate painkiller that is commonly used to cut street drugs like heroin. On the other hand, methamphetamine is the active ingredient in crystal meth. The ME determined that Floyd’s died from cardiac arrest as a result of the added stress of his encounter with police. However, two additional exams contradicted the report. The exams identified asphyxia as the immediate cause of Floyd’s death.
The announcement didn’t quell the rage building on the streets. Protests officially began at 5 PM on Tuesday at the site of Floyd’s altercation with police, but they didn’t stay there for long. Within a few hours, demonstrators made their way to the Minneapolis Police’s Third Precinct where they began throwing objects at squad cars and damaging property. By morning, some Minneapolis activists began calling for calm and the end of violence, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.
Start of Violence
Protests turned violent on Wednesday. In the evening, riots broke and the city quickly succumbed to widespread riots, looting, and arson. Violent protestors set several buildings ablaze. Rioters also attacked businesses and vehicles. Shortly after the demonstrations turned violent, a man died by stabbing at a protest near the site of Floyd’s death. By the time the night ended, rioters set 30 intentional fires and extensively vandalized dozens of buildings. Unfortunately, the night of wanton destruction was only the beginning.
By Thursday, local government officials caledl in the Minnesota National Guard to confront growing unrest in the city. Protestors later returned to the Third Precinct and set the building on fire. All police station personnel had been previously evacuated. So, the building burned through the night without contention. The riots gained momentum, and more looting and vandalism swept through the city. Over 170 businesses suffered damages overnight and the local fired department responded to at least 19 fires.
Government Response
NEW: Shots were fired at law enforcement officers in Minneapolis near the police department's Fifth Precinct, according to Minnesota State Police.
No officers are believed to have been hit. https://t.co/1uLOZfMchk
— ABC News (@ABC) May 30, 2020
The next morning, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced that the state took the lead in responding to the riots. Later that day, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. However, the arrest didn’t quell the rioters. The city instituted a curfew to help control overnight violence, but the order was largely ignored. Violence and looting continued through the night, and crowds near the Minneapolis Police’s Fifth Precinct reportedly opened fire on officers near the precinct. At a late-night press conference, Governor Walz announced that 1,000 national guard troops had been activated to respond to the riots, but he complained that the state didn’t have the numbers to contain the growing unrest.
The national guard arrived on the scene over the weekend to restore rule of law in the city. Dozens of arrests were made, and troops were forced to use rubber bullets, tear gas, and flashbangs to disperse crowds. Elsewhere, a suspect opened fire on Minneapolis police officers, but the officers didn’t return fire.
The Aftermath of the Violence
By Sunday, police had arrested 276 people for curfew violations and other miscellaneous criminal complaints. A National Guard soldier fired several live rounds at a car driving towards him at a high rate of speed, but the car quickly changed course and fled. No one suffered injuries in the exchange, but the unidentified driver of the vehicle is currently wanted by law enforcement.
Pockets of violence and looting continued into the beginning of the week, but recent reports indicate that the unrest is beginning to deescalate. With much of their city in shambles, It’s been a week of heartbreak and hell for Minneapolis residents. Residents and local business owners now have to repair their shattered homes and businesses. It’s a scene playing out in dozens of cities across the country, but Minneapolis, the city at the epicenter of the tragedy, perhaps faces the longest road to recovery.
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3 Comments
Well this is typical isn’t it? Rioters burning their ow city down and shutting down their own businesses and criminally stealing merchandise in major cities.
All of the police officers on the scene were fired and the one that had his knee on Floyd’s neck arrested and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter and yesterday upgraded to second degree murder but should be first degree murder.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-06-04-candace-owens-george-floyd-violent-criminal-felon.html
Why is it, perpetrators are always made to be heroes? The officers deserve severe punishment, and no one should die as Mr. Floyd did. This video by Ms. Owens puts a whole different spin on who Mr. Floyd was. Very sad chain of events.
Stats show that the blacks are’t the worst treated..it is the whites. All lives matter but most of the events were do to blacks resisting arrests or attacking the police. The percentages are showing that blacks are initiating the aggressive behavior in most cases. Armed with that information the protests are understandable in the case of George Floyd’s arrest treatment but does not justify all the mayhem and destruction that followed. All the talk of defunding police in Minneapolis and LA are stupid and the officials involved all need to be reprimanded. This is not in the best interests of those cities and is another example of why Democrats should never be in charge of anything!