Filmmaker Michael Moore sided with the rioters in Minneapolis, calling them “good citizens” and referring to the police department as “evil.”
“Good citizens burning down the evil police precinct in MN after all police were out & safe,” Moore tweeted Thursday in response to the protesters starting a fire in the city police’s 3rd Precinct building Thursday evening.
“All police should go home. No violence please. Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind ppl aka ppl of color,” he added.
Good citizens burning down the evil police precinct in MN after all police were out & safe. All police should go home. No violence please. Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind ppl aka ppl of color
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
Protests in the city of Minneapolis began Tuesday after video showed a police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, for approximately eight minutes until he became unresponsive. Floyd was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Protesters breached the Minneapolis police precinct in the neighborhood where George Floyd died in police custody, setting fire to the building as dozens watched it burn late Thursday https://t.co/MJ0JibRJFh pic.twitter.com/nV535R5sVL
— TIME (@TIME) May 29, 2020
Morning after the protests and riots in Minneapolis of the police killing George Floyd. It’s eerie pic.twitter.com/UVF2ltmL7E
— Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) May 28, 2020
RAW VIDEO: Dozens of people loot the Target store near Minneapolis Police’s 3rd Precinct building in the midst of the #GeorgeFloyd protest. (WARNING: Contains strong language). The other protest at the scene of Floyd’s death remains peaceful. Read More: https://t.co/W5GdKvLI7g pic.twitter.com/9Pjt6oWLzI
— WCCO – CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) May 28, 2020
Other Democrats have voiced support for the protesters, not all of whom have been involved in looting or causing fires.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar said the anger behind the protests is “just” and “warranted.”
“We share an unwavering commitment to see that this investigation is done right, that it’s done forthwith, that we act with dispatch, and that we live up to the standards the community demands,” U.S. Attorney from Minnesota Erica MacDonald said about Floyd’s death. “Our highest priority is that justice will be served.”
The four officers involved in the incident, including the white officer who pinned Floyd down by his neck and had more than a dozen internal complaints on his record, have been fired. No charges have been filed to date, but the federal government is investigating the death.
