Daunte Wright Protestors chant “It Could’ve Been Me” as they continue for a Third Night
After giving orders to disperse for a curfew at 8 p.m., hundreds of protesters stood their ground at the Brooklyn Center Police Station, surrounded by members of the National Guard and fences. The third night of protests erupted in Minnesota on Tuesday after the Brooklyn Center police officer fatally shot Daunte Wright, 20 during a traffic stop. He resigned, as did the police chief.
Not long after, clashes broke out, echoing previous nights in which authorities used tear gas and other projectiles to disperse crowds. Dozens of people have also been arrested during the demonstrations, many of them peaceful. Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered for the second day of vigils honoring Wright, who died Sunday when police say a 26-year veteran of the department accidentally shot him with her gun instead of her taser during a traffic stop.
“It could have been me, it could have been my little brother here, it could have been one of my friends,” said Bluejay Gboweay, a 16-year-old Brooklyn Center resident. “We are here marching with everyone else, bringing unity and trying to get involved. Brooklyn Center resident Princess Marie Quia, 15, said, “knowing someone died on your street is hard to live with.”
“They took another black life for what reason?” he said before curfew. “How are we supposed to live and grow up in this place knowing that next time it could be me on the ground? The officer who killed Wright, Kim Potter, and Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon submitted their resignations Tuesday, but tensions remained high as night fell and the curfew expired.
Police said officers detained Wright Sunday afternoon for an expired registration tag on his car and claimed that when they checked his name in their system, they discovered that he had a warrant for his arrest. A court appearance had been missed for two minor offenses: carrying a gun without permission and fleeing from police last June, But when officers tried to arrest Wright, he tried to free himself and return to his car.
“They could have fined him for that. But when it comes to black people in America, they engage in the greatest use of force, and it ends with deadly consequences,” said Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing the Wright family, on a newscast. Confidence. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Criminal Detention investigates the shooting, while neighboring Washington County’s district attorney’s office will decide whether to press charges.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis metropolitan area awaits real change. A 20-year-old who gave her name as Maddie told a memorial meeting Tuesday that she lives eight blocks from where a former Minneapolis police officer killed Floyd. this has become … we post about it and then move on,” he said. “I hope we find a way to build on this momentum and make real change happen.”
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