The aftermath of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul describes the result of civil disorder between May 26 and June 7, 2020, in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Protests began as a response to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man on May 25, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as three other officers assisted during an arrest. The incident was captured on a bystander's video and it drew public outrage as video quickly circulated in the news media by the following day.
Local events are sometimes referred to as the "Minneapolis riots"Aizuramay, A. "A Mask and A Target Cart: Minneapolis Riots", The New Inquiry, 30 May 2020. or the "Minneapolis uprising". Protests that first emerged in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, were initially peaceful. A several-day period of civil unrest, particularly three nights of heavy rioting from May 27, 2020, to the overnight hours of May 29, 2020, however, resulted in an estimated $500 million of damages to 1,500 property locations, 604 arrests, 164 instances of arson, and 2 riot-related deaths. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz deployed the state's National Guard to quell civil disorder and protests over Floyd's murder returned to being mostly peaceful events after May 30, 2020. The state government's command that responded to the initial unrest after Floyd's murder demobilized on June 7, 2020, as protests and intermittent civil disorder over racial injustice persisted throughout 2020 and 2021.
Video footage of Floyd's murder and media coverage of the initial events in Minneapolis inspired a global protest movement against police brutality and racial inequality. The initial period of local unrest in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and metropolitan suburban communities was the second most destructive in United States history, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. By early June 2020, the events in Minneapolis and Saint Paul had been overlooked by national media as attention shifted to events elsewhere, but local residents and officials were left mired in the aftermath of historic unrest and property destruction amid an ongoing racial reckoning.
Investigations of demonstrators, police tactics, and the government response to civil unrest took place in the years afterwards.
Background
Murder of George Floyd
Protests and riots
Response to civil disorder
Government actions
Attacks on bystanders and journalists
During the unrest, police forces fired tear gas and less-lethal munitions at crowds of people that included bystanders and reporters. Some activists said that several instances came without warning and were directed at groups demonstrating peacefully.Walsh, Paul (28 July 2020). [ https://www.startribune.com/aclu-sues-law-enforcement-leaders-over-wounding-of-protesters-in-mpls/571932702/ "ACLU sues law enforcement leaders over wounding of protesters in Minneapolis"]. Star Tribune. Minneapolis police officers fired 5,200 less-lethal munitions rounds over six days of the initial unrest, and 57 people sought urgent care during protests in from May 26 to June 15, 2020, including 23 hit in the head or face, and 16 suffering traumatic brain injuries. A video of an incident that circulated online showed police officers enforcing curfew ordering residents on their porch to go inside, and after a few demands, firing paint rounds at the residents. The incident was one of 68 videos of excessive police force during George Floyd protests compiled by ProPublica. By June 2021, the Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota State Patrol, and Minneapolis Police Department had all denied involvement in the incident, and no officers faced discipline.
Over the first two weeks of the protests and unrest, 40 journalists were either attacked, had equipment damaged, or were arrested, according to data prepared by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker. Linda Tirado, a photojournalist, was left blinded in one eye after being hit by a less-lethal bullet fired by Minneapolis police on May 29, while photographing police interactions with a crowd gathered after curfew.Uren, Adam (11 June 2020). "Journalist blinded in one eye while covering protests sues Minneapolis police, state patrol". Bring Me the News. In 2022, the city settled a $600,000 lawsuit with Tirado.
On May 29, Swedish Expressen correspondent Nina Svanberg was shot with a rubber bullet and VG photojournalist Thomas Nilsson had a red laser sight trained on him. Tom Aviles, a photojournalist with WCCO-TV, was shot at with rubber bullets and arrested the evening of May 30 on live television. He was later released. In the morning of May 29, CNN reporter Omar Jimenez and his camera crew were arrested by Minnesota State Patrol officers as Jimenez reported live on television. After intervention from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, most of crew was released an hour later. A security guard from the CNN crew was jailed for over 20 hours for allegedly breaking curfew and for illegal gun possession. He filed a $500,000 civil rights suit in U.S. District Court that alleged he was targeted for being Black. The security guard dropped the suit in December 2021 and no criminal charges had been filed against him related to the unrest. Video of a parking lot at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue captured uniformed state patrol officers on May 30 slashing tires of unoccupied vehicles parked near protests, including those of several journalists covering the unrest.
Executive orders and declarations
State and local officials issued several orders and declarations during the course of events. On May 28, Walz issued an executive order declaring a peacetime emergency in Minnesota due to the civil unrest, which stood up the state's emergency operations center and activated the Minnesota National Guard. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey and Saint Paul mayor Melvin Carter also declared local emergencies in their cities the same day.City of Minneapolis (28 May 2020). "Mayoral Declaration of Local Emergency" .City of Saint Paul (28 May 2020). "City of Saint Paul Emergency Declaration May 29, 2020". The state imposed nightly curfews in the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul beginning on Friday, May 29 to keep people off the streets. Several metro area cities also set curfews of their own. The curfew in Minneapolis prohibited all forms and modes of travels with exceptions for those who needed to travel for work. Those breaking curfew faced fines of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail. Officials hoped that the curfew would "isolate those who have criminal intent from those who do not".Bosley, Lindsay (30 May 2020). "Frequently asked questions about the curfew in Minneapolis". City of Minneapolis: News. Retrieved on July 2, 2020. Curfews that started on Friday, May 29, were in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. By Monday, June 1, as nights grew calmer, curfews were shortened to 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and extended through the night of Thursday, June 4. Curfews fully ended one week after being put in place, on June 5.Pross, Katrina (5 June 2020). "Nightly curfews in Minneapolis, St. Paul to end". Pioneer Press.
The Minneapolis City Council and Hennepin County passed resolutions declaring racism a public health emergency. The Minneapolis City Council resolution, approved July 17, 2020, outlining a series of action steps to address racial equity in the city. The city's resolution asserted that racism leads to discrimination in several areas of life, resulting in inequitable health outcomes for people of color for a variety of conditions and diseases. The resolution referenced studies showing that Black people are three times more likely to be killed by police.Staff (17 July 2020). "Minneapolis City Council declares racism a public health emergency". KSTP. Retrieved on 17 July 2020. While the declaration in Minnesota, and elsewhere in the United States, was the result of Black scholars and Black activists seeking acknowledgement of systemic racism, some critics questioned what would happen next. The resolution in Minneapolis called for greater investments in housing, community development, youth programs, and small businesses to advance the interests of the city's residents who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Surrender of a police station
Built in 1985, the third precinct station in south Minneapolis was overrun by demonstrators and officially lost on May 28, 2020. It is a matter of debate whether the decision by city officials to abandon it helped save lives or inspired more violence. Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo, and other city leaders prepared as early as May 27 for the possibility of surrendering the station, which had been the location of tense protests beginning the evening of May 26, a day after Floyd's arrest and murder.Tangel, Andrew, Barrett, Joe Barrett, and Ailworth, Erin (2 July 2020). "We’re Just Going to Walk Away From This?’ How Minneapolis Left a Police Station to Rioters". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 5 July 2020. According to Frey, after the precinct building was breached the city faced the choice of hand-to-hand combat with demonstrators that could result in more death, or forces could make a hasty departure and leave the building to the crowd, the latter of which happened in dramatic fashion as it was captured on live video. The image of an abandoned police station being set on fire by demonstrators was said to symbolize the collapse of order in Minneapolis and the failure of the police's relationship with the community. Hennepin County officials estimated tin July 2020 that he cost to replace the police station, either at the prior location or at a new location, was $10 million. Those who were charged and later pled guilty for their role in destroying the building were ordered to pay $12 million in restitution.
As a crowd breached the third precinct station on May 28, 2020, away at the second precinct police station in northeast Minneapolis, officers feared their station might be breached next, and began destroying documents with sensitive law enforcement information. In the days that followed, however, demonstrators focused their attention on the fifth precinct police station instead on Lake Street.
National Guard deployment
After the protests turned violent, 7,123 members of the Minnesota National Guard were pressed into duty in the Twin Cities. The deployment, commanded by Major General Jon A. Jensen, was state's the largest since World War II. The mission was to support local law enforcement, safeguard the state capitol building, and protect the right of people to protest. The delayed arrival of troops to areas of unrest later received criticism for "lagging" in its response to the riots. After being activated by Walz on May 28, Jensen claimed he and other guardsman were not provided clear directions by Walz on how to respond to the protests and riots. It was noted that no guardsmen were present during rioting on May 29, which destroyed numerous businesses in Minneapolis; streets were not cleared until the next day. It was not until the night of May 30 that the state's National Guard deployment was fully mobilized, after which street violence began to subside and the protests returned to being largely peaceful events.
During the guard's mobilization, troops were fully armed because of credible threats authorities had picked up, but the troops did not fire on any people. Troops had 18 minor injuries during the course of deployment, none of which were the result of altercations with demonstrators.
State command and patrol mobilization