Minneapolis Seethes Over George Floyd's Death As Trump Calls Protesters 'THUGS'
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Protesters raise their fists as flames erupt behind them outside the 3rd Police Precinct in Minneapolis on Thursday night.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
Minneapolis is burning.
Is Minneapolis burning because they are protesting?
For a third straight night, the Midwestern city saw clashes between police and protesters after the death of George Floyd, a black man whose arresting officer was recorded kneeling on his neck for minutes on end.
I don’t know why he was being arrested, but I don’t think that it is okay that the police officer was on his neck.
and if he did do something bad was it worth for him to die?
The four officers involved have been fired and the incident is under federal investigation, but demonstrators are not satisfied. Some of them stormed the 3rd Police Precinct, setting fire to that building and others in the neighborhood.
President Trump, who called Floyd's death "very sad and tragic" earlier this week, said early Friday that he had told Minnesota's governor that "the Military is with him all the way."
He also described the source of the unrest as "THUGS" — a word widely criticized for bearing racial overtones.
"Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts," he continued, in a tweet flagged by Twitter for violating its policy against glorifying violence.
The president's comments came after a night of chaos in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where several fires raged and some businesses were sacked, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Protesters also overran the 3rd Precinct after police withdrew in an attempt to mitigate tensions.
"Brick and mortar is not as important as life," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said, noting that though the building was emptied, patrols would continue in the neighborhood. "We are doing absolutely everything that we can to keep the peace."
Minneapolis has seethed since the release of the video depicting Floyd's arrest by a white police officer. The officer plants a knee on his neck for at least seven minutes as Floyd cries for help and eventually falls silent and as bystanders shout that he's dying.
The officer did not remove his knee until paramedics showed up to move Floyd's unresponsive body into an ambulance. He was reported dead later that night.
Since then, Minneapolis has seen a series of escalating protests over his death, while anger has been evident in other cities, as well.
Protesters have turned out to express their outrage as far as Los Angelesand New York City. Meanwhile in Louisville, Ky., demonstrators gathered Thursday to protest death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman shot by police in her home in March.
Flames consume a liquor store near the 3rd Precinct in Minneapolis, where demonstrators gathered for a third straight night to protest the death of George Floyd in police custody.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images
As one protester in Minneapolis told NPR, the anger over Floyd's death is about more than just one man — it's about how police treat black people across the U.S.
I don’t think that this is right, i agree that the skin color doesn’t matter.
"This is how our people react, you know? When we've been done wrong for so long," he said. "So, me, I'm just praying and hoping everybody makes it home safe."
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