National Guard called to quell protests over man’s death by Minneapolis police
MINNEAPOLIS — The Twin Cities continued to convulse Thursday in the wake of the Memorial Day death of George Floyd while being restrained by a Minneapolis police officer, another chaotic chapter in America’s — and Minnesota’s — long reckoning with the killing of unarmed black men by law enforcement officers.
Framed by grief and rage over Floyd’s death and uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, the day came in waves: Buildings burned. The police chief apologized. Prayer circles formed at the site of Floyd’s killing. Business owners boarded up windows. Post offices closed.
And Gov. Tim Walz called in reinforcements — the first time the Minnesota National Guard has been activated for a civil disturbance in 34 years.
Meanwhile, county and federal prosecutors expressed disgust at
Floyd’s killing while pleading for the public’s patience as they conduct an investigation and mull whether to charge Derek Chauvin, the police officer whose knee was pressed to Floyd’s neck as he died, or the other three officers present. The Hennepin County medical examiner mirrored that call for patience, saying an autopsy to determine a cause and manner of Floyd’s death cannot be rushed — even as protesters demanded that Chauvin be charged with murder.
“I will not rush justice,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. “We have to do this right. We have to prove this in a court of law . ... Please: Give me and give the United States attorney the time to do this right, and we will bring you justice — I promise.”
All over the Twin Cities, however, patience felt in short supply.
Floyd’s killing quickly has turned into an international story, with a White House spokeswoman calling the death “absolutely tragic” and noting the attorney general was briefing President Donald Trump.
In the Twin Cities, Thursday felt like a continued push and pull between city and state authorities pleading for calm and protesters fed up with the systemic racism they believe Floyd’s killing represents.
As Thursday’s sun rose on an idyllic late-May day in the Twin Cities, buildings still smoldered from fires lit during violent protests the night before. Near the corner of E. Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue — across the street from the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct headquarters, the protests’ epicenter — a Wendy’s restaurant was gone. So was a six-story affordable-housing apartment building still in the middle of construction. A burned-out AutoZone store was a husk of its former self. It felt more like a war zone than a busy commercial center.
But glimmers of hope appeared as scores of community members showed up in the Lake Street Target parking lot for a massive cleanup. Forces of restoration took over the spot where rioters had encamped hours before. National civil rights leaders appeared at protests: Jesse Jackson sported a sign saying, “Cowards kill the unarmed,” while Al Sharpton met with local leaders and protesters. Artists painted a mural of Floyd’s smiling face outside the Cup Foods grocery store on Chicago Avenue where he was killed.