One person has been confirmed dead as Minneapolis had a second night of protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police. The protest has been characterized by peace and violence at different areas.
Mayor Jacob Frey have enjoined the angry citizens to embrace peace as several shops and properties have been affected.
“Please, please, Minneapolis,” he told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “We cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy. The activity around Lake and Hiawatha is now unsafe. Please, help us keep the peace.
“Yes, we’re reeling,” he said.” “I understand the anger and pain, and we need the public’s help in keeping the peace tonight. We need that in order to get through this together. I love our city. I know our residents do too, and we need to be doing everything possible to not have one tragedy beget more.”
Frey who had earlier called for criminal charges to be leveled against Derek Chauvin, the police officer seen on video pinning Floyd under his knee until he lost consciousness and later died. Chauvin, along with officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng, were all fired Wednesday, May 27.
Chauvin, 44, was a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis police force, and had been the subject of at least a dozen complaints, but was never disciplined, NBC News reported. Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder, were reportedly accused of excessive use of force in 2017. The case was later settled for $25,000, according to the Star-Tribune. But, Kueng and Lane have had no reported disciplinary actions taken against them prior to Floyd’s death
At least five people were gotten injured in the protest that turned violent.
There was a fatality recorded when a pawn shop owner shot dead a man he thought was breaking into his shop. He was booked in the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of murder.
The National Guard was called into the area where demonstrators surrounded a police precinct.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar has on a Twitter post called for peace, and gave a clear cut understanding of the rage surrounding Floyd’s death.
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s attorney general Keith Ellison called for police restraint, while appealing for an end to the unrest.
As the social unrest continued in different parts of Minneapolis, demonstrators marched to the home of Hennepin County prosecutor Mike Freeman, who would make a decision on any criminal charges as well as the home of Chauvin, WCCO confirmed. At Chauvin’s home, red paint was poured onto his driveway, while the word “killer” was painted on his garage door, the Star-Tribune reported.
In the same vein, in Los Angeles, demonstrators blocked traffic on the 101 Freeway in protest of Floyd’s death, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Floyd moved from Houston to Minneapolis for a a greener pasture and had worked as a security at a restaurant. His brother, Philonise Floyd described him as a “gentle giant”, according to CNN.
