Following the death George Floyd at the hands law enforcement, many took to the streets in a protest that eventually escalated into violence.
In another disturbing event involving racially-fueled police brutality, a Minneapolis man named George Floyd was killed after an ficer kneeled down on his throat, preventing him from properly breathing. Despite cries “I can’t breathe,” a phrase that has become all too common in cases this nature, Floyd was forcefully restrained for over seven minutes and died in the hours following.
After video footage the arrest went viral, all four the ficers involved were “separated from employment.” Floyd’s family has since demanded that the ficers involved receive murder charges, though there have been no further developments on that front. The outcry following Floyd’s murder has been passionate and vocal, with massive crowds taking to the street last night in protest.
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The rally was held on the 3700 block Chicago Avenue, where Floyd was killed. From there, a march began leading to the Minneapolis Police’s 3rd Precinct building, where police clad in riot gear had already set up a barricade. Though many sought to protest in a peaceful fashion, tensions eventually flared. Video footage captured at the scene reveals some the escalations.
Police cars were barraged with projectiles and swarmed by protestors, while police raised the stakes by pelting people with rubber bullets and launching tear gas canisters and flashbang grenades. Andy Mannix the Star Tribune was on scene to chronicle events and shared a few pictures on social media, capturing the frantic and smoke-filled atmosphere while taking a rubber bullet to the thigh for his trouble.
It’s clear that tolerance for racial injustice has once again reached a boiling point, especially following the deaths both Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd in quick succession. Many have already pointed out the contrast between police response to this protest and that a mostly-white, and sometimes heavily armed group protestors swarming Michigan’s Capitol building. Rest in peace to George Floyd.