'I Can't Breathe:' National Guard Troops Disperse Protesters, Restore Order In Minneapolis

After days and nights of violent protests over the tragic death of an unarmed African American man in police custody, it seems that Minneapolis and its residents are finally able to breathe again, with its people returning to normal life following the state's National Guard troops being brought in to manage the crisis

MINNEAPOLIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2020) After days and nights of violent protests over the tragic death of an unarmed African American man in police custody, it seems that Minneapolis and its residents are finally able to breathe again, with its people returning to normal life following the state's National Guard troops being brought in to manage the crisis.

Mass riots hit multiple cities across the United States last week, with demonstrators protesting against police brutality and racism following George Floyd's death. The black man was detained outside the Cup Foods corner store in Minneapolis last Monday after a store clerk called the police claiming that Floyd had paid for cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill.

A notorious viral video shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pin Floyd to the ground with his knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyd begged the police officer for air, saying "I can't breath" until becoming unresponsive. The man died at a local hospital shortly after. The four police officers present on the scene were fired. Derek Chauvin was also charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Protests subsequently broke out, forcing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey to introduce a curfew as the situation grew direr. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on Saturday that he was fully mobilizing the state's National Guard in response to the protests. The same day, National Guard troops moved in to break up protesters, and eventually restored order in the city by deploying tear gas and firing rubber bullets at both protesters and media workers.

Peaceful protests continued in Minneapolis on Sunday, and seemingly on Monday.

A young man in a white T-shirt thoroughly applies white paint over some black graffiti on the wall, covering up swear words. Three girls help him. Half of the wall to the right of the entrance to the building, the sign on which indicates that this is a nursery, has already been coated with paint, an RIA Novosti correspondent, Mikhail Turgiyev, who was himself pepper-sprayed by Minneapolis police while performing his journalistic duty, reported from Lake Street.

"This is child care that we figured didn't need bad words on them, so we thought we'd cover that," one of the girls said.

When asked whether there would be a new wave of protests and therefore new writings, the group said that even if so, they would paint over it again, although they do hope that this will not happen again.

"It was all gibberish here, at least now it gives a template for positive messages," the young man added.

DONATIONS AT THE PUPPET THEATER

Staffers of a local puppet theater, which now has a "Black Lives Matter" banner on top of it, put up stalls outside the theater with all sorts of donations. Behind the stalls are three women.

"This building here is a puppet theater, with this space here we thought it would be a good idea to open our doors to the community, we know that there are people who are in need, we put it out here to take donations and just give them out," the woman in charge told the correspondent.

According to her, the idea came yesterday, and there was an instant response in the community.

"Hopefully, by the end of the day, this is all gone," the woman noted, adding that they would close at 6.30 p.m. (23:30 GMT), before the curfew.

TWO MARIAS BEHIND A CLOSED DOOR

In a continuous line of doors and windows tightly boarded up by boards of plywood, there is a visible gap. A board leans against the wall close to the glass door, with a woman behind it.

Her name is Maria. She and her colleague, whose name is also Maria, work as cashiers at a money exchange office. Today, for the first time since the chaos began, they decided to reopen.

"This night was better. Police was there. Today is a really good day for work, security [-wise], we will close at 6.00 p.m maybe, so it is safe for us," Maria said with a Spanish accent.

Their exchange office, where the women also sell groceries, was not looted during the riots. The heavy door and a board placed on top protected the small space from robbery. Their neighbors, according to Maria, were less fortunate, as their shop was broken into.

The seller in a grocery store ran by Somalian immigrants across the street agrees that police raids restored some degree of order in the city.

"It is more safe today, maybe because [of what the] national guard [did] last night, I think people are scared now," a woman standing behind the counter in a national dress said.

However, she admits, the store continued to work even during difficult times. When the protests turned violent, the doors were closed. The looters broke into the shop on the first night and robbed it. After that, the windows and doors were boarded closed.

A fire siren gets closer. It is an escort of National Guard armored vehicles along with several fire units.

They stop at one of the buildings. Troops jump out of the vehicles and block traffic on one side of the road.

"What is it? Riot again?" an elderly woman on a bicycle asks.

The sidewalk is now blocked as well.

Firefighters set up barricades on the corner of a one-story building. There is a faint white smoke rising above. Firemen begin their work. An armed escort continues to guard them.

A couple of hundred meters further is a Target supermarket that has been looted. Next to it, there is a burnt minivan that wrecked, with five African American youngsters of various ages on top and two mothers beneath it.

One of them screams "Fists up!" to the children, taking her phone to take photos of them.

The laughing kids raise their hands clenched into a fist and pose in exactly the same poses in which protesters took selfies the day before, with burning buildings and looted shops in the background.