Minneapolis Review

Since the death of George Floyd, a black man who died outside of Cup Foods on May 25, people in Minneapolis and suburbs have taken to the streets and protests calling for the arrest of former officer Derek Chauvin, who was videotaped with his knee on Floyd’s neck for approximately seven minutes as Floyd repeatedly said that he couldn’t breathe. 

On May 28, protesters in Minneapolis set fire to the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct after breaching the building at 10 p.m. local time. Officers and personnel evacuated the precinct. In a statement obtained by WCCO 4 CBS Minnesota, the police said that “in the interest of the safety of our personnel, the Minneapolis Police Department evacuated the Third Precinct of its staff. Protesters forcibly entered the building and have ignited several fires.”

An hour and a half after the protestors entered the third precinct, city officials warned that the gas lines had likely been severed and they were asking people to get away from the building in case of a potential explosion.

Protests have continued through several days, and by midday on May 28, WCCO reported that the department officials were discussing removing officers. The American flag was taken down from the precinct’s flagpole around 11:30 a.m. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey told media personnel on the morning of May 29 that he had ordered police to leave the precinct.

Hundreds of National Guard soldiers arrived in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and suburbs on May 28 to “protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate,” WCCO 4 CBS Minnesota reported.  

Around 6 a.m. on May 29, police arrested Omar Jimenez, a CNN correspondent who is black, and his crew were arrested as they reported on what was going on. CNN noted that a white correspondent nearby had not been arrested.

Jimenez was released before 7 a.m. and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reached out to CNN’s president to apologize personally for the incident.

In addition to the burning of the third precinct building, more than 170 businesses in St. Paul were looted or damaged on May 28 and dozens of fires were set as people protested. Throughout the day, the looting continued, and police took action in St. Paul, deploying tear gas in an attempt to deter protestors and gain control of the scene.

On May 27, protests in Minneapolis turned into fiery scenes where an affordable housing complex under construction, a Wendy’s restaurant and an AutoZone store were set on fire and destroyed. Twelve other businesses were also set ablaze. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to try and gain control of the situation as individuals threw a variety of projectiles and officers and squad cars.  

WCCO reports that the owner of an East Lake Street pawn shop is now in police custody after shooting a suspected looter on May 27 in the chaos.

Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. The announcement came on the afternoon of May 29, four days after Floyd died.