The Aftermath of George Floyd's Death

On Monday night, Minneapolis PD arrested an African-American man by the name of George Floyd, who they say was a forgery suspect. In the video that showcases the incident, Floyd can be seen in custody and with an officer placing all of his bodyweight, with his knee, onto Floyd's neck. Floyd can be heard multiple times throughout the video saying that he couldn't breath and pleading for the officer to remove his knee. A little more than half way through the ~5 minute video it becomes clear that Floyd is unresponsive. He was declared dead upon arriving at the hospital. 

Four officers were fired as a result of the incident. The officer that placed his knee on Floyd's neck, the officer seen in the video attempting to keep civilians away from the scene, and two more officers that were holding Floyd down but were not visible in the video. None of the four officers have been placed into custody or been charged with any violations of the law. President Trump has been made aware of the incident and has personally ordered the DoJ and FBI to lead the investigation into Floyd's death. 

As a result of the incident and what many see as a lack of accountability among law enforcement agencies riots have broken out in Minneapolis, as well as Los Angeles. Minneapolis has entered its second night of rioting. On the first night thousands descended upon the city hurling rocks at police vehicles and clashing with officers equppied with riot gear and tear gas. Earlier this evening riots started again. More clashes took place with riot police. Multiple businesses were looted, including Target and AutoZone which were both later set on fire. Some armed civilians came out to defend small businesses from looters. Reports are now coming in of a looter that has been shot dead by a pawn shop owner in the city. Police could be heard on scanners reporting shots fired, individuals with pipe bombs, people looting liquor stores to make molotov cocktails, and at least one man patrolling the general area with an assault rifle.

Riots have also broken out in Los Angeles, particularly in DTLA. The group Black Lives Matter initiated a roadblock on Highway 101, stopping a transport bus with the LA County Sheriff's. Multiple police vehicles have been damaged. A situation appears to be unfolding at the intersection of 2nd Street & Hill Street where +20 people and vehicles are blocking traffic through the intersection. Some reports are stating that LAPD has been placed on a citywide tactical alert. That cannot be confirmed at this time. 

The situation in both cities could very well change shortly after this article is published. Stay safe and have a good one,

Brodie