Minneapolis Police Clash With Crowds Protesting The Death of George Floyd

Video footage that circulated after Floyd’s arrest showed an officer kneeling on his neck as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. He died at a hospital shortly after.

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Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Minneapolis on Tuesday to protest the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who appeared in video footage repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” as a white officer kneeled on his neck. More protests are reportedly planned for Wednesday.

 

According to a police report Floyd, 46, was arrested on Monday over an alleged "forgery in progress," and police claimed he resisted arrest. A video from a bystander of the violent arrest was widely shared on Tuesday, provoking outrage and calls for justice. At least one officer could be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly the entire 10-minute video.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced on Tuesday that four officers involved in Floyd’s death had been terminated.

Protesters gathered at the same intersection where Floyd was arrested and choked on Tuesday, chanting phrases such as “I can’t breathe” and “It could’ve been me.” Though the protesters formed a sizable crowd, many appeared in the video footage to be spread out and wearing masks in an attempt to comply with social distancing guidelines

According to a report by local outlet WCCO, protesters then began a march to Minneapolis’ 3rd Precinct, where it is believed that the four officers worked. Officers in riot gear formed a barrier around the precinct and began firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters, some of whom vandalized and threw rocks at the building and squad cars.

Star Tribune reporter Andy Mannix posted real-time updates of the protests, including the moment when police fired tear gas into the crowd. 

Some pointed out the different police responses to the crowds protesting police brutality versus the armed, right-wing protesters who called for an end to the coronavirus stay-at-home orders and mask-wearing guidelines.

Many are drawing comparisons between Floyd’s death and the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man who died in 2014 in Staten Island after an officer placed him in a chokehold, as he also said the words “I can’t breathe.” The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) announced on Tuesday that it is investigating Floyd’s death and reviewing officers’ body cam footage. The BCA investigates most in-custody deaths, the Star Tribune reported.

The FBI is leading an investigation into whether there was a civil rights violation.