Ally Nissen
Black Americans account for less than 13 percent of the population, but they are shot and killed by police at a rate that’s more than twice as high as for white Americans.
As protests and gatherings continue following the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer on May 25, this biased brutality is replicated as black communities in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are unequally impacted by the presence and aggression of law enforcement, including the National Guard.
Many protesters on the ground in Minneapolis and across the United States report that law enforcement is largely responsible for inciting hostility during the collective mourning and commemoration of Floyd’s life and tragic death.
“It doesn’t feel like they [law enforcement] are protecting anyone but their own,” she remarks. “You can yell ‘hands up, don’t shoot,’ and they still aggress.”
On May 27 in Minneapolis, one white woman I spoke with said she saw five police vehicles pass while ignoring a black woman suffering from a seizure after her car had been hit by a person who then drove off. After the white woman waited two or three minutes to be connected by phone to emergency services, bystanders were finally able to summon an ambulance. The white woman said she was thanked for her actions by the police, compared to the black woman who had been blatantly disregarded.
While residents of all colors organized at medical and food supply sites across the Twin Cities, another white woman I interviewed, Anna Keltto, recounted a standoff with white nationalists at one of these sites late Thursday night on May 29. She says she encountered them unsuccessfully attempting to co-opt the planning efforts of community organizers. These white nationalists pressured organizers to barricade themselves indoors until they retreated. Others report similar incidents.
“Amazing work is happening during the day, but standoffs continue at night,” she said.
For those living within the communities directly impacted by large gatherings and standoffs between law enforcement and residents, many have been driven from their homes. One black woman, Maddie Williams, who lives just blocks from the former Minneapolis Third Precinct, which was set on fire during a protest on May 28, spoke of her disheartenment in regard to her neighborhood, which now, in some ways, resembles a war zone.
This feeling was reinforced after a conversation with her five-year-old nephew, during which he asked, “Did you know cops are killing black people?” Despite all of the fear that is being instilled, she still felt a sense of safety while protesting.
“Before looking to the police, I would look to the black community,” she said. “I don’t trust the police, and become hypervigilant when they are around.”
She mentioned how her friends and family have been shot with rubber bullets, tear gassed, terrorized by flash bang grenades, and screamed at by police over the past week. While she normally enjoys walks to decompress, she now feels the need to arm herself with mace, a taser, and other tools for self-protection.
“It doesn’t feel like they [law enforcement] are protecting anyone but their own,” she remarks. “You can yell ‘hands up, don’t shoot,’ and they still aggress.”
As police and National Guard fail to protect and serve black communities, others step in to fill the void. A black motorcycle club in North Minneapolis, Eternal Kings Motorcycle Club, has been protecting their community for years and continues to patrol the area and defend supply sites. In fact, the chief of police personally thanked the club for its help.
While white allies do not need recognition, their role in protecting these communities has included, among other things, a call to action to create human barricades at protests and other gatherings. Additionally, allies are showing their support by holding their own communities accountable and calling on them to engage in actions for change and justice, and encouraging those who can’t make it to the front lines to donate to bail funds.
Protests continue in the Twin Cities, and this disparity between the treatment of protesters based on race evolves. In fact, Sunday, May 31, Bogdan Vechirko drove a semi through a march of protesters in memory of George Floyd on I35W, yet was released from police custody without charges.
Pop-up food shelves are offering food and other household items at locations such as Holy Trinity Church, Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, and various public schools. Other organizations such as the Minnesota Freedom Fund, Black Visions Collective, and Reclaim the Block aim to enact lasting change and community support by giving people tools and knowledge to hold themselves accountable.
Finally, for white people and law enforcement, it’s time to be held accountable, initiate education, and bring about the necessary sacrifice and change to help bring about retribution and equality.