After a Black man fatally shot himself on a pedestrian plaza in downtown Minneapolis, rumours of another police shooting in the city still reeling from the death of George Floyd began spreading quickly on social media, sending concerned residents and activists to the area — many of them anxious and some of them misinformed.
Tensions and anger have been running high in Minneapolis since Floyd’s May 25 death, and some activists say community members are mobilizing more quickly as incidents occur — refusing to wait for explanations from a city police department they don’t trust.
But others say the unrest that unfolded Wednesday — which damaged multiple business and resulted in more than 130 arrests — had nothing to do with anger, but was due to opportunists intent on committing crimes.
“I just think that things have reached a boiling point and people are fed up,” said community activist Nekima Levy Armstrong. “Now we’re at a breaking point where there is no tolerance for even a hint of police abuse or police murder.”
Emotions have remained raw over the death of Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd’s death sparked protests worldwide, including several nights of violence in Minneapolis.