Mirror On The Angry Streets Of Minneapolis.. Burning Injustice

Fury erupts in protests over the death of black man knelt on by cop

- Christopher Bucktin

Flames erupt as fury explodes in the face-off between police and angry crowds protesting over the death of an unarmed black man detained by a white officer.

Armed with Molotov cocktails, fireworks, rocks and even a chainsaw, demonstrators did not cower as police fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets from the Third Police Precinct.

My three hours on the front line of demonstrations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was a shocking insight into the anger and frustration felt not only in this city but across America.

Thousands had descended on the precinct to voice their fury at violence despite the fear of further brutality.

Many in the crowd believed the only protection from the police’s tear gas and weapons was a white face.

But as tensions rose in the demonstration over the death of George Floyd, the crowd’s fury turned on me.

I was shoved forward and ordered to the front, as one demonstrator told me: “Scream ‘No justice’ and we going to follow you. They’re not going to shoot your white ass. They’re not going to send any gas over here. You’re here. You’re too clean. I want to hear you say something.”

Another said: “They’re not going to get you, you’ve got a nice tie on.”

When I said I was a journalist and not a demonstrator, the mood turned.

A woman said: “You’re hiding something. They [the police] send their own out to act as agitators. To stir us up. You’re one of them.”