The Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd precinct headquarters was breached late on Thursday night, with a raucous crowd of protesters seen filing into the building, smashing windows and some attempting to set it ablaze. The Guard said a “key objective” was to make sure fire departments could respond to calls, and said in a follow-up tweet it was “here with the Minneapolis Fire Department” to assist. In a strip mall across the street from the 3rd Precinct station, the windows in nearly every business had been smashed, from the large Target department store at one end to the Planet Fitness gym at the other. “This is where we live, where we shop, and they destroyed it.” No officers could be seen beyond the station.Among the casualties of the overnight fires: a six-story building under construction that was to provide nearly 200 apartments of affordable housing.A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10 p.m. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.On Friday morning, the Minnesota State Patrol arrested a CNN television crew as they reported on the unrest in Minneapolis. President Donald Trump has said he had asked an investigation to be expedited.Late Thursday, President Donald Trump blasted the “total lack of leadership” in Minneapolis. The fire is being reported on the first and second floors of the building. Please do not come here to protest. Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they’re charged to protect,” Walz said.Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, was fired Tuesday with three other officers involved in the arrest. A producer and a photojournalist for CNN were also led away in handcuffs.Additional Support Provided By:Much of the Minneapolis violence occurred in the Longfellow neighborhood, where protesters converged on the precinct station of the police who arrested Floyd. Also on rt.com WATCH Minneapolis police ABANDON 3rd precinct as protesters TORCH it … In New York City, protesters defied New York’s coronavirus prohibition on public gatherings Thursday, clashing with police, while demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Denver and downtown Columbus. We don’t want to cause any damages,” she said. At one point, officers stood in line in front of a Target, trying to keep out looters, who were also smashing windows of other businesses.“We’re burning our own neighborhood,” said a distraught Deona Brown, a 24-year-old woman standing with a friend outside the precinct station, where a small group of protesters were shouting at a dozen or so stone-faced police officers in riot gear.
Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they’re charged to protect,” Walz said.The group marched peacefully for three hours before another confrontation with police broke out, though details were scarce.Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.Fire crews responded to about 30 intentionally set blazes on Wednesday, and multiple fire trucks were damaged by rocks and other projectiles, the fire department said. The 3rd Precinct covers the portion of south Minneapolis where Floyd was arrested.Protests have also spread to other U.S. cities. Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody Monday, broke out in Minneapolis for a third straight night. Protesters set fires at the 3rd Precinct of the Minneapolis Police Department, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis. Gunfire broke out in multiple cities, including Louisville and Denver. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)They then broke through the boards that covered the broken windows of the building’s front entrance. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Protests have also spread to other U.S. cities. As minutes pass, Floyd slowly stops talking and moving.
Police appeared to have left the building located in the neighborhood not far from where Floyd died. The Guard tweeted minutes after the precinct burned that it had activated more than 500 soldiers across the metro area.“WHY US?” demanded a large expanse of red graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Target. (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)The protests that began Wednesday night and extended into Thursday were more violent than Tuesday’s, which included skirmishes between offices and protesters but no widespread property damage.“What that cop did was wrong, but I’m scared now,” Brown said.Floyd’s death has deeply shaken Minneapolis and sparked protests in cities across the U.S. Local leaders have repeatedly urged demonstrators to avoid violence.“Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way.