Thread by @UR_Ninja

Sheriffs deputized as federal agents ambushed & killed 32 y/o father of 3, #WinstonSmith on June 3 in his car in Uptown Minneapolis.

Initial claims by authorities & corporate media said he was a "murder suspect" & he "produced" a gun. Both were false. unicornriot.ninja/2021/federal-t…

When a group of protesters approached the police line, an officer turned his laser on and pointed it at at least three people. That was the first time our reporters have seen police use lasers against protesters in Minneapolis in the last six years.
unicornriot.ninja/2021/federal-t…

The second day of the protests featured one of the more shocking police brutality incidents. A young woman had her head cracked open by police who knocked her to the ground as she was delivering pizzas to protesters.

https://twitter.com/coloring_book/status/1401001240130207744

Since last fall, police in Minneapolis have changed away from the policy of only wielding ‘less-lethal’ weaponry when responding to protests; MPD now typically responding to protests with live-fire rifles in hand, some equipped with green laser sights.

https://twitter.com/whittcopwatch/status/1401729473175822336

Winston Smith had just eaten lunch with a date when he was shot to death as he sat with her in his car at the top of a parking ramp in Uptown Minneapolis after being swarmed by undercover federalized officers working for the North Star Task Force.

Full: unicornriot.ninja/2021/federal-t…

Authorities claim #WinstonSmith “produced” a gun & fired it, so they fatally shot him in his car next to his date.

They later claimed they found a gun in the "driver's compartment" of his car.

However, legal reps for Smith's date state that she never saw Smith with a gun.

Two sheriffs deputies (one from Hennepin Co. & one from Ramsey Co.) serving as deputized U.S. Marshals under the North Star Fugitive Task Force fired on #WinstonSmith, according to the MN-BCA who has declined to name them, stating they were working in an undercover capacity.

When Winston Smith was killed, officers at the incident taking part in task force were from the Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey County sheriff’s offices, the MN Dept of Corrections, & U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, all led by the U.S. Marshals Service.

https://twitter.com/UR_Ninja/status/1403397654374014977

#WinstonSmith’s killing by police has further traumatized a grieving community still on edge after a recent string of deadly police interactions coming off of last summer’s massive uprising triggered by the murder of #GeorgeFloyd.

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2021/federal-t…

The fatal shooting of #WinstonSmith has drawn comparisons to the evening-time sting operation at a Mpls gas station on Dec 30, 2020 where police killed 23 y/o #DolalIdd in front of dozens of people.

Smith also referenced Idd in social media postings. unicornriot.ninja/2021/authoriti…

#WinstonSmith was killed on the same day authorities attempted to reopen parts of #GeorgeFloyd Square, 53 days after police killed 21 y/o unarmed #DaunteWright in Brooklyn Center, and in a public police operation like #DolalIdd.

>unicornriot.ninja/tag/daunte-wri…
>unicornriot.ninja/2021/community…

Many in the community & on social media are calling #WinstonSmith's killing an “assassination.” A website has popped up at WinstonSmithWasAssassinated.com & #WinstonSmithWasAssassinated has circulated on Twitter & Instagram hundreds of thousands of times (#WinstonSmithWasAssasinated).

Also being drawn are parallels between #WinstonSmith’s killing by the North Star Task Force & the targeted police murder of #MichaelReinoehl, a Portland antifascist shot & killed by a federal task force without warning or attempting an arrest before opening fire late last summer.

In the immediate aftermath of the #WinstonSmith killing, corporate news agencies reported that Smith was a wanted “murder suspect” being sought by police.

U.S. Marshals later announced they were after Smith because he was wanted for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Star Tribune, who ran with the false #WinstonSmith was a “murder suspect” claim, said that the claim came from “sources" - After letting misinformation linger online for five days, they removed a "murder suspect" tweet blaming unverified police scanner chatter for their mistake.

The practice of corporate news agencies running the police narrative after a police killing is common.

Many families who’ve lost their loved ones to police terror say the partnership b/t police & the news is key to negatively influence public perception to “cover up” killings.

Controversy over the federally-controlled North Star Fugitive Task Force erupted immediately after #WinstonSmith’s killing.

Ramsey, Hennepin, and Anoka counties have since pulled their agencies from the task force over contentions about the non-use of body cameras on the force.