Protesters gathered outside the home of Minneapolis’ interim police chief on Sunday night, following the death of Amir Locke last week.
The activists said they were calling for Minneapolis Interim Chief Amelia Huffman, as well as Officer Mark Hanneman and Mayor Jacob Frey, to resign.
Hanneman was the officer who purportedly is responsible for the death of Locke.
As reported by The Minnesota Sun, Locke was shot last Wednesday when police were executing a no-knock warrant, as part of an ongoing homicide investigation.
Locke, who reportedly had a permit to carry, was armed with a loaded pistol and was shot after emerging from a couch wrapped in a blanket with the gun in hand.
Protesters began in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon, and then a car caravan headed through the streets to Huffman’s home.
While protesting downtown, one of the protesters said that the deaths of Winston Smith, Dolal Idd, Daunte Wright, George Floyd, and Amir Locke were lynchings.
The protester said, “Power to the looters. Power to the rioters.” He continued, “Build barricades, burn precincts, reappropriate what they’ve stolen from you for thousands of generations.”
From Saturday's Amir Locke protest: 'Power to the looters. Power to the rioters.'
'Build barricades, burn precincts, reappropriate what they’ve stolen from you for thousands of generations.'
Chauvin is in jail because 'we burned down that f–ing precinct.' pic.twitter.com/8rXuEyNycs
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 7, 2022
He continued, saying that Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, is in prison because the rioters burned down the precinct, to cheers from the gathered crowd.
In footage posted to Twitter by Rebecca Brannon, protesters can be seen shoving around a white woman for asking what kind of gun Locke had at the time he was shot.
Tensions flared when a female resident out walking her dog asked the crowd: "What kind of gun did Amir have?"
The woman was called out for her “white privilege” and a camera man from @NewsNation was also pushed away. pic.twitter.com/6UlMePg4cF
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) February 7, 2022
Brannon shared another clip in which Nekima Levy Armstrong, a local activist who was one of the first to be called by Interim Chief of Police Huffman following the death of Locke, confronted an individual who lived in the neighborhood.
Nekima said, “Why are you here? Why are you whining … White lady cry? … I’m just saying that your voice is whiny and like high-pitched.”
Nekima Levy Armstrong intervened with the woman who had a question for the protest crowd earlier.
“This is my neighborhood—”
Nekima: “Why are you here? Why are you whining… White lady cry…?… I’m just saying that your voice is whiney and like high pitched— pic.twitter.com/C5oSEZa6my
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) February 7, 2022
A group of mothers held a press conference on Monday afternoon at the Minneapolis City Hall, according to a Twitter account called Twin Cities Citizens’ Report.
Powerful moment from today's press conference of Black mothers at city hall: Jamecia Bennett begins her address of the crowd by singing.
(More clips from this event will be uploaded later tonight) @MNSpokesman pic.twitter.com/5CtR3kmcAt
— Twin Cities Citizens' Report (@TwinCityReports) February 7, 2022
It is unknown whether more protests will be taking place at this point.
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “group of protestors” by TheFamily’sSoup TV.
