TOPLINE

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called up the National Guard on Thursday evening as protests and unrest spread throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed (and handcuffed) black man who died after being pinned down by a knee to his neck by a white police officer who still faces no criminal charges.

Protests continue in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's death, after an officer pressed his ... [+]

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

KEY FACTS

Walz signed an executive order Thursday activating the National Guard's assistance in Minneapolis, after calls from city officials.

The unrest spilled over Thursday into neighboring communities like St. Paul, Minnesota, where a Target store had up to 60 people stealing goods off the shelves and those of neighboring businesses.

Minneapolis' transit authority had suspended its bus routes and light rail lines by Thursday afternoon.

On Wednesday, protests that began peacefully escalated throughout the evening with a reported 30 buildings set on fire and one person fatally shot, according to The Star Tribune.

The officer who pressed his knee into Floyd's neck, identified by local media as Derek Chauvin, has not been charged with a crime.

Local media reported that police in Oakdale, a nearby city, arrested six people who refused to follow police orders to disperse as they protested outside of Chauvin's home Wednesday night.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

"George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction," Walz in a statement to the media Thursday, adding, "That is why I am answering our local leaders' request for Minnesota National Guard assistance to protect peaceful demonstrators, neighbors and small businesses in Minnesota."

KEY BACKGROUND

The protests in Minneapolis began Tuesday, sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was pinned to the pavement by a white police officer kneeling on his neck during an arrest, as shown in a viral video of the incident taken by a bystander. After a night of buildings being set on fire and shops looted as police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey requested help from the state's National Guard Thursday. The same day, Frey called for an "all-out effort to restore peace and security" in Minneapolis, and said the underlying issues that sparked the protests "must also be understood by our nonblack communities" and cannot be ignored, or the city will "ignore the values we all claim to have."

FURTHER READING

Minneapolis Mayor Says Anger "Not Only Understandable, It's Right"-As Bodycam Footage Reportedly Obtained ( Forbes)

Minneapolis Protests Over George Floyd's Death Turn Chaotic; National Guard Called ( Forbes)

Minneapolis Mayor Calls For Charges Against Officer Who Knelt On George Floyd's Neck ( Forbes)

Four Minneapolis Police Officers Fired Following Black Man's Death After An Officer Kneeled On His Neck ( Forbes)

...

tag