Thread by @UR_Ninja

Live from Minneapolis, Minnesota: mass protest after last night’s police murder of George Floyd

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Protest march has ended up outside the Third Precinct building, one door has been smashed.

Some people have left due to rain but still a sizable, angry crowd out

Last night, Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin (fired today) killed George Floyd by pressing his knee into his neck for ~8 minutes while Floyd gasped “I can’t breathe”:

unicornriot.ninja/2020/minneapol…

Large crowd chanting “Fuck 12” outside Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct building

Eggs and other objects have been thrown at the MPD 3rd precinct, more windows broken. We’re still live from the protest after last night’s brutal police murder of George Floyd:

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A glimpse of some of the graffiti that just went up on the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct:

Police cruiser smashed up outside MPD 3rd Precinct

Police firing projectiles at protesters (and reporters) now. Air is thick with tear gas outside Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct right now as the city reels from last night’s graphic police murder of George Floyd.

unicornriot.ninja/2020/minneapol…

Things now (slightly) calmer after the crowd moved further away from MPD 3rd Precinct

More police just arrived in riot gear, assaulted several reporters near the PD building, firing lots more tear gas now

Our stream a minute ago showed @MinneapolisPD striking a photographer in the neck with a baton. Last night MPD killed George Floyd with a knee to his neck.

Minneapolis PD continuing to fire tear gas at protesters across the street from the 3rd Precinct

Lost track of how many tear gas rounds have been shot - several every minute for a few mins now

Ongoing heavy use of tear gas by Minneapolis Police currently. Most we’ve ever seen them use in our 5 years of reporting in the Twin Cities

Minneapolis Police in riot gear continuing to fire lots of tear gas. The explosive canisters started a few small fires which we saw put out by protesters

We haven’t seen or heard Minneapolis Police issue any dispersal orders, warnings, or other commands before repeatedly firing tear gas today.

In an interview today, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey & a member of city council stressed that MPD media statements re: the death of George Floyd were not run by city politicians before going public. The extent to which police are acting autonomously today is still unclear.

Police just shot projectiles at our cameraman through this glass bus stop enclosure

We are still gathering video from ongoing conflict between police & protesters after last night’s brutal, videotaped murder of George Floyd by @MinneapolisPD. Our reporters are safe but live feed is currently inoperable, possibly due to weather. Thanks for your support everyone

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Things are still pretty escalated in Minneapolis right now and our team is still filming after streaming became impossible due to poor network connections. Once our ground team is done covering ongoing events we will share HD video to more accurately show you what happened today.

Our reporter Niko was just injured by a projectile shot at him by @MinneapolisPD while he was documenting their interactions with protesters upset by last night’s police murder of George Floyd.

Niko saw a man fall down after being shot in the eye with a marker round by police. When Niko approached the fallen wounded man to see how he was doing, police officers shot him in the arm with a projectile.

There is currently a dramatic confrontation between protesters and Minneapolis police in the Target parking lot near the MPD 3rd Precinct. Here you can see shopping carts and a semi truck being used as cover from police projectile guns.

“The Battle of Snelling and Lake”

Rain just picked up pretty heavily, putting a slight damper on things. Situation still tense and not over at the Target parking lot, police still firing projectiles and protesters throwing some objects.

A fresh look at some of the street near the standoff in the Target parking lot near MPD 3rd Precinct. People have been using bus shelters to dodge the rain.

If you’re just now catching up with events in Minneapolis today, many people are very angry after @MinneapolisPD Officer Derek Chauvin brutally murdered George Floyd on video last night.

unicornriot.ninja/2020/minneapol…

Our reporter is still on site and sheltering from the rain. The same standoff conflict in the Target parking lot is still ongoing.

The scene just now at 38th and Chicago: intersection is blockaded with some protesters chanting anti-police slogans.

A more mournful atmosphere at vigil site at the spot where George Floyd was choked to death by @MinneapolisPD Officer Derek Chauvin last night.

Another look at the current street blockade and vigil area at 38th and Chicago; not to be confused with the ongoing incident in Target parking lot near MPD 3rd Precinct.

Right now, Minneapolis Police in riot gear are guarding a smashed-up Minnehaha Liquors on Minnehaha and Lake across the street from a cop shop.

Police are continuing to fire gas grenades and rubber bullets at protesters surrounding the 3rd Precinct.

The scene right now outside MPD 3rd Precinct, just over a day after the murder of #GeorgeFloyd: people stand and face police who aim less-lethal munitions at them. Others launch fireworks.

There is pervasive sense of deeply felt rage after last night’s brutal police killing.

Ongoing back and forth exchange of police munitions w fireworks and other projectiles from protesters. Crowds angry about George Floyd’s killing have had this area saturated and mostly shut down for quite a few hours now

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We’re live again in Minneapolis where protesters still have the 3rd Precinct surrounded after police murdered George Floyd last night:

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A few mins agoin Minneapolis, from our stream: SWAT formation rapidly deployed to defend liquor store items from people entering the store after its door was broken. ~3 arrests made inside the Minnehaha Liquor by the 3rd precinct

Several hours ago angry protesters threw eggs, rocks, and other objects at the windows and walls of the 3rd precinct.

Minutes later others began attacking a MPD SUV behind the building, eventually breaking in its windows.

Our Minneapolis livestream is down for the time being. Stay tuned for more updates soon. Thanks everyone for watching and thanks to all our amazing supporters who make our work possible: unicornriot.ninja/donate

Buffering issue w an earlier stream clip we tweeted obscured a key detail of the SWAT arrests at the busted-up liquor store earlier. Fixed clip is below.

Between 20-30 secs you can see @MinneapolisPD officers repeatedly punching a young man as a whole squad takes him down.

Minneapolis PD have finally retreated inside the 3rd Precinct building, leaving (for now) the posts from which they had been constantly firing munitions into crowds throughout the night.

A few protesters still remain outside the precinct.

Justice for George Floyd protestors outside the Minneapolis Police's Third Precinct, spoke with Unicorn Riot last night about their thoughts of the police murdering Floyd.

More info on #GeorgeFloyd: unicornriot.ninja/2020/minneapol…

Continue to follow us as we will be back in the field.