MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Barbed wire and concrete barriers surround the courtroom where the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd will soon go to trial, a sign of the deep unrest that hovers over a city that has literally been burned down for almost a year in hatred about his death.
Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz, both Democrats, were harshly criticized for failing to act more quickly to prevent looting and destruction last summer, which included the burning of a police station. Anything less than a murder conviction for Derek Chauvin will likely test them – and the city – once again.
The jury selection begins on March 8 with opening statements on March 29. Floyd, who was black, died on May 25 after Chauvin, who was white, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and begging that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin faces manslaughter and manslaughter charges; three other dismissed officers go on trial in August.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Minneapolis after Floyd’s death. Many demonstrated peacefully. But for several nights, the bustle turned to violence, with stores looted and set on fire along Lake Street’s commercial artery, which included the 3rd Police Station, which was home to the officers who arrested Floyd. The station itself was eventually abandoned by the police and burned by protesters. Some nervous neighborhoods have formed surveillance groups, establishing checkpoints and sometimes armed patrols. The violence finally subsided after enough National Guard troops arrived.
As the city moves to make the court virtually impenetrable, some people worry about what might happen elsewhere if Chauvin is acquitted.
Elias Usso’s pharmacy on Lake Street was open less than a year ago when it was destroyed by fire and water. He personally blames Chauvin for what he considers “the murder of an innocent man”, as well as the ensuing destruction – estimated at more than $ 350 million in Minneapolis alone.
“A policeman did that,” said Usso. “Something needs to change.”
Her Seward pharmacy was reopened with donor help. Between vaccinating clients against COVID-19, Usso – an Ethiopian immigrant and a black man – talked about still feeling the emotional turmoil over Floyd’s death and agitation, and his concerns about the trial.
“I don’t know what will happen to my business. We are waiting to see, ”said Usso. “But I will continue to serve our neighbors and distribute recipes to grandma and grandpa. If something happens, we will continue. “
Frey said more than 3,000 police officers from across the state and soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard will be ready when the case goes to the jury, scheduled for late April or early May.
Frey declared last week that Minneapolis remains “open for business” and said that people should live their lives normally.
But the security that rises around the Hennepin County courthouse, the city hall and the prison – all in the heart of the city center – is extraordinary. Includes three rings of concrete barriers, two topped by a wire fence with a gutter in the middle filled with barbed wire spirals. The innermost fence is covered with barbed wire and the ground floor windows in all three buildings are boarded up.
Protest leaders are also nervous. They accuse the authorities of creating a police state in the center of the city that could run over their freedom of speech and assembly.
“This is not going to dissuade us from protesting. We are determined to allow our voices to be heard, ”said Linden Gawboy, an activist at Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar, who graduated after the death of Jamar Clark by the police in Minneapolis in 2015.
It is not just the court that is barricaded. The state capitol in St. Paul has been surrounded by a temporary fence since last summer’s riots. Inside, lawmakers argued for weeks about providing extra state money for security during the trials, although Walz and other officials say they will succeed in one way or another.
“There will be a lot of emotion on all sides of this and we will be prepared,” said Walz.
Julie Ingebretsen, owner of a Scandinavian food and gift market on Lake Street that was founded by her Norwegian grandfather, said she is not closing the doors, although she expects that to happen in the mile-long commercial corridor that includes many immigrant-run businesses and minorities. Some never removed the plywood they put in last summer.
Although Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace was looted and vandalized, she said she was lucky her store was not burned. She said she feels “cautiously optimistic” now because of the personal efforts of police chief Medaria Arradondo and other city officials, and her assurances that many police and guards will be on standby.
“We are celebrating our 100th anniversary this year, so we have every intention of celebrating another 100, and not going anywhere,” said Ingebretsen. “We are fully committed to moving forward.”