Unrest prevailed for a second night in Minneapolis, USA, despite the application of a night traffic ban, as anger overflows over the murder of 20-year-old black Dode Wright by police fire, while the trial for the murder of George Floyd is underway.
“Peaceful demonstrations are understandable” after the “tragic” death of Dode Wright, commented earlier by Democratic President Joe Biden, noting that he is aware of the “anger and pain” that African Americans feel.
But “there is absolutely no excuse” for the violence, he added, urging the population of the big American city to “calm down” after a first night of protests marred by looting and clashes.
In addition to the night traffic ban imposed by the mayors of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, a thousand soldiers of the National Guard stood up to prevent new diversions, as broadcast by AMPE.
Around 21:00 (local time; around 05:00 Greek time today), almost two hours after the ban took effect, dozens of protesters continued to hold their placards shouting slogans, in the rain, from which they were protected by umbrellas and hoods, in front of the Brooklyn Center Police Department.
Protesters denounced the police along the grid that had been set up around the police station, holding placards has labeled slogans like “imprisoned all racist killer cops,” “I will be the next?” “Without justice there is no peace.”
Police repeatedly fired tear gas towards protesters and sent orders to disperse.
Death by accident”
It was the second night of protests after the death of 20-year-old Dode Wright by police, while he was at the wheel of his car with his girlfriend as a passenger.
During the search, which was connected to the license plates of the car, the policewoman, with 26 years of experience in the body, as it became known, pulled “her pistol instead of the teaser”, a weapon that causes electric shock and is not necessarily deadly, said its leader. police chief Tim Gannon, speaking of an “accidental” death.
To substantiate what he said, he presented the recording of the tragedy by the camera worn by the policewoman.
Last night, the judicial authorities in Minnesota announced the details of the policewoman: is called Kimberly Potter and has been suspended by an administrative decision, they clarified.
The footage presented by the police chief shows police officers taking the young man out of the car and going to handcuff him. He resists and gets back in his car. The policewoman is heard shouting “teaser” three times, to warn that she will throw. Instead, a shot is heard. The young man is seriously injured.
“Sk, I shot him,” says the policewoman as the 20-year-old, mortally wounded, tries to leave in the car, before crashing another car a few streets away.
It is not clear how the policewoman was able to confuse her pistol with the teaser.
The head of the local police clarified that the members of the body are trained to pass the pistols on the side of their body that is their strong hand and the teaser on the other side of their belt.
President Joe Biden called the killing “tragic” but warned against any violent action. “I think we have to wait for the results of the research,” he added.
The 20-year-old’s death sparked outrage in Minneapolis, where riots erupted after George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, under the knee of white police officer Derek Sauvin.
NBA basketball games, as well as the professional baseball and hockey championships, which were scheduled to take place on Tuesday night, were postponed.
Amid the tension, Derek Sauvin’s lawyer called for the jury to be acquitted to prevent pressure from deciding. “I understand that there is unrest,” but “I do not think there is any reason for further concern,” said Judge Peter Cahill.
“It was my life”
A cardiologist was called to the scene on Monday to challenge the defensive line of Derek Sowin, whose lawyer claims that George Floyd died of a combination of drug overdose and heart problems.
The black man in his forties died “of a heart attack due to lack of oxygen” due to the pressure exerted on his neck by the police, Jonathan Ritz countered. “I can testify with a high degree of medical certainty that George Floyd did not die of a heart attack or drug overdose,” he added.
The trial continues today with the prosecutor completing the examination of the prosecution witnesses and then leaving it to the defense to call its own witnesses.
Pending calls for police reform in US cities are being repeated outside the courtroom.
Some 260 people have been killed by police fire since the beginning of the year in the United States, according to the ACLU, a powerful civil rights group.
At the scene of Dode Wright’s death, relatives gathered to refer to a young father who did a lot of work to support his two-year-old son. They rejected the police version that he was killed in an accident.
“My brother lost his life because “(the police) like to pull the trigger.” said his older brother, Dallas Wright.
“My heart has become a thousand pieces (…). I miss him so much and only one day has passed (.). He was my life, my son and no one will bring him back to me. Because of a mistake? “Because of an accident?” Said Katie Wright, the young man’s mother, amphibiously.
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