Minneapolis man’s death sparks violent protests

Protesters set fires and looted stores in Minneapolis late Wednesday and into Thursday morning. One man was found shot dead on a sidewalk near a pawn shop. Protests began on Tuesday after a video surfaced on Monday on social media of a white police officer making an arrest with his knee pressed into an African American man’s neck. The man, George Floyd, died, and the police department fired the officer and three others on Tuesday.

How has the city’s police force responded? Minneapolis police did not stop looters from removing merchandise from a local Target store. They used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters at the 3rd Precinct police station, near where Monday’s incident took place. Mayor Jacob Frey called for Minnesota’s National Guard to intervene in the violence. “Please, Minneapolis, we cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy,” he tweeted.

Dig deeper: Listen to Trillia Newbell’s reflection on the recent death of Ahmaud Arbery on The World and Everything In It.