Violent unrest erupted in Minneapolis for the second night yesterday after police announced that the recent fatal shooting of Duante Wright was due to an accidental discharge.
Several instances of violence and looting were caught on tape. Members of the Brooklyn Center Police Department and Minnesota National Guard who were guarding the police department were attacked with fireworks, glass, and blunt objects before deploying tear gas.
In other footage, protestors can be seen screaming “there are no good cops” to a line of National Guardsman.
It is just the latest in violent clashes between rioters and law enforcement since it was revealed that the officer who shot Wright had intended to use a taser but accidentally fired a service weapon instead. Though rare, similar instances have been reported over the years, often resulting from the chaotic nature of altercations with violent suspects.
Bodycam footage from the incident shows that Wright attempted to escape police while they were arresting him for an outstanding warrant. During the struggle, the firing officer shouts “taser!” before firing a single shot from her pistol. After the encounter, Wright can be seen driving away as the officer expresses distress at having fired her pistol instead of her taser.
Establishment media have already attempted to depict the violent riots as a justice-based movement. When Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon described the riot, one reporter immediately stated “There was no riot.”
40 people were arrested outside of the Brooklyn Center Police Department last night for their participation in the riots.
The unrest also follows Minneapolis’ decision to cut $8 million in funding from its police department that was previously allocated to crime prevention programs and mental health crisis response teams.
Now, there is a very real possibility that these new riots could combine with the already tense atmosphere of the ongoing Derek Chauvin trial to create a new series of violent outbursts throughout both Minnesota and the rest of the country.
Indeed, if left unchecked by law enforcement and municipal authorities, the new protests could spark a renewal of last year’s BLM-led George Floyd riots, which resulted in 25 deaths and at least $2 billion in property damage.
That damage was mostly inflicted on already-underserved minority communities, which will now likely take decades to recover.
At this time, it appears highly unlikely that Brooklyn Center will be able to fare any better, as the town has already fired its city manager and given control of the hiring and firing of police officers directly to the mayor, Mike Elliott.
Elliott went on record yesterday to affirm his belief that the killing was “unfathomable” and directly linked it to the death of George Floyd last year. He further articulated that he wanted the officer who shot Wright fired.
Elliott and the city council have not yet revealed any plans they may have for quelling the ongoing unrest or improving the safety of officers and civilians.
Andrew Thornebrooke, Founder & Executive Editor of The Rearguard