MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Violent protests over the death of a black man in police custody broke out in Minneapolis for a second straight night Wednesday, with protesters in a standoff with officers outside a police precinct and looting of nearby stores.
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News helicopter footage showed protesters milling in streets near the city’s 3rd Precinct station, with some running in and out of nearby stores. A Target, a Cub Foods, a Dollar Tree and an auto parts store all showed signs of damage and looting. As darkness fell, fire erupted in the auto parts store, and city fire crews rushed to control it.
Officers could be seen surrounding the nearby precinct, not attempting to intervene in the looting. Earlier, some protesters skirmished with officers, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas in a repeat of Tuesday night’s confrontation. A police spokesman didn’t immediately respond to messages.
The violence followed t he death Monday night of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man whom police sought to arrest outside a south Minneapolis grocery store. A citizen’s cell phone video showed an officer kneeling on Floyd ‘s neck for almost eight minutes as he eventually became unresponsive.
The officer and three others were fired Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Mayor Jacob Frey called for him to be criminally charged.
Protesters also gathered Wednesday evening at the officer’s suburban home as well as the Minneapolis home of Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County prosecutor who would make a charging decision in the case. No violence was reported in those protests.
In California, hundreds of people protesting Floyd’s death blocked a Los Angeles freeway and shattered windows of California Highway Patrol cruisers on Wednesday.
I have no problem with the protesters taking out the police precinct. That’s a public building in which the taxpayers paid for and pays the salary of every lowlife scum officer that occupies it. They gave it, they can take it.
I do however have a problem with these looters damaging and destroying private properties and stores. It’s the very stores that support their fellow brothers and sisters that they are destroying. That’s illogical and self defeating. Don’t cut your nose to spite your face.
“Violent Protests”? How does protesting against an alleged case of police brutality (albeit a particularly egregiously example!) include looting the local Target & Dollar Tree? Headline should read “Protests against police brutality give rise & provide cover for looting”; as the locals know that the police have orders not to escalate the protests by arresting anyone for the usual partying & looting that invariably follows these events.
H ow about protesting the black on black violence that happens every day and the black on Hasidic violence in crown. Heights. Other people’s lives matters also when perpetrated by blacks.
The police are sickos and deserve to have their precincts damaged, the looters and protestors are sickos for destroying innocent local stores and businesses , but the the SICK CRAZY HIGH TAXES that we all have to pay in this country is what’s causing everyone to fight and wage war against each other . … Lets just concentrate on making this blasted country GREAT AGAIN by lowering the blasted taxes , building a wall for everyone’s safety and knocking the CRAZY DEMOCRATS out of office for good !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The police are sickos and deserve to have their precincts damaged , the looters are sickos for destroying local innocent stores and businesses , but the sickest thing is the SICK HIGH CRAZY TAXES that we all have to pay in this country that causes all of us to fight and wage war with each other in the first place .!!!!!! … Lets just concentrate on making this great country GREAT AGAIN !!! We need to lower taxes for everyone , get a wall built for everyone’s safety and get rid of the CRAZY DEMOCRATS for good once and for all !!!!!!
Chayos Raos… causing untold damage and mayhem because of a perceived injustice is pure stupidity it just makes their case much much much weaker in people’s eyes