Thread by @UR_Ninja

Two years ago today, a federal task force cornered & killed #WinstonSmith in Uptown Minneapolis.

Father of three, Winston Smith, 32, was sitting in a car with a friend after a lunch date around 2pm on June 3, 2021 when deputized sheriffs fatally shot him.

A thread 🧵

The violent 2021 killing of Winston Smith in Minneapolis led to a fallout within the federalized task force that killed him, legacy media falsely reporting that Smith was a "murder suspect" & weeks of sustained protests with calls for accountability. 2/ unicornriot.ninja/2021/federal-t…

Winston Smith’s killing coupled with the murky narratives offered by authorities further eroded Minneapolis residents’ confidence in state & local police & their federal partners. Authorities initially released little info on the deadly federal raid. 3/
unicornriot.ninja/2021/unanswere…

Four months after the U.S. Marshals' North Star Fugitive Task Force killed Winston Smith, Crow Wing prosecutor Donald Ryan announced no charges would be filed against the unnamed federalized undercover officers who fired the fatal shots. 4/ unicornriot.ninja/2021/no-charge…

Shortly after the fatal shooting of Winston Smith, authorities announced they wouldn't be naming the two deputies who pulled the trigger b/c of their undercover status.

However, the BCA failed to redact their names in a 1,000+ page report in Oct 2021. 5/ unicornriot.ninja/2021/police-in…

Dozens gathered to remember Winston Smith last year on June 3 - one year after a federal task force killed him. Listen to Smith’s mother, sister, brother & a friend speak along with other advocates, activists & impacted families at the press conference: unicornriot.ninja/2022/one-year-… 6/

During a late Sunday night protest for Winston Smith on June 13, 2021, a car attack by a man named Nicholas Kraus killed Deona Marie, 31, & injured others. Deona was a mainstay at the near-daily protests seeking justice for Smith in Uptown Minneapolis. 7/ unicornriot.ninja/2021/woman-kil…

For attacking a Winston Smith protest with a vehicle driving up to 80 MPH, Nicholas Kraus was charged with 2nd degree intentional murder & two counts of 2nd degree assault w/ a dangerous weapon. Kraus pled guilty & was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 8/
unicornriot.ninja/2021/car-attac…

Two days after the car attack that killed Deona Marie during a protest for Winston Smith, Minneapolis Police & officers from various departments cleared barricades around the protest site. Dozens of people were arrested thru the night & several were injured by police violence. 9/

Following prolonged protests after a federal task force killed Winston Smith in Uptown Minneapolis, private security firm, CRG, Conflict Resolution Group started to provide armed patrols. “It’s an evolution in repressive tactics,” saidMichelle Gross, President of @CUAPBMpls. 10/

@CUAPBMpls CRG, the private security firm hired by property owners & run by ex-mercenaries, assaulted, detained, threatened & surveilled community members while providing armed patrols in Uptown Minneapolis after authorities killed Winston Smith. [2021 Report] 11/ unicornriot.ninja/2021/private-m…

The killing of Winston Smith by a federal task force in 2021 hasn't been forgotten. After Georgia police killed forest defender 'Tort' Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, 26, as he protested the plans to build '#CopCity', a protest in Minneapolis paid respects where Smith was killed. End/