Videos taken in Minnesota during massive rioting in the Twin Cities this week show business owners and other heavily armed citizens standing outside storefronts to protect against looters.
In a video posted Thursday, several black gun owners are seen standing outside local businesses in St. Paul carrying firearms.
“Run up in here and see what happens,” one of the men says.
Lawful black firearms owners standing guard outside their businesses. pic.twitter.com/UyV5uHw3cW
— Ezra Levant ? (@ezralevant) May 28, 2020
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of St. Paul and nearby Minneapolis to protest the killing of George Floyd, 46, an unarmed black man who died in police custody Monday night.
Multiple videos from the scene show the officers kneeling on Floyd, one of whom crushed his neck.
“I can’t breathe,” Floyd, who never resisted arrest, told the officers. All four officers involved in Floyd’s death have been fired, but no arrests have been made as of Friday morning.
Amid the demonstrations this week, looting and property destruction have taken place. Demonstrators took over a police precinct in Minneapolis on Thursday and burned it to the ground.
Minneapolis police station is now burning down. pic.twitter.com/aOLGaS1lf5
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) May 29, 2020
During the second night of looting Wednesday, men calling themselves “heavily armed rednecks” stood outside a tobacco shop in the city with long guns to protect it from looters.
“Basically, you see the records that cops keep. And cops are a lot less likely to try and tread on people’s rights when there’s other armed Americans with them,” one of them said. “I figured it’s about damn time that some heavily armed rednecks stood with fellow citizens.”
Protesters are looting Target, AutoZone, and Dollar Tree across the street from this police precinct.
They are now also attacking the Precinct itself.pic.twitter.com/aKLiM7mibi
— Michael James Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) May 28, 2020
This is what it looks like to enter the now-looted Target in Minneapolis. It is completely trashed with garbage covering the floor and water on the ground from the sprinkler system being turned on. Plenty of people are still looting. pic.twitter.com/z8M5cj2I10
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 28, 2020
Looting underway at Minnehaha Lake Wine and Spirits across from 3rd Precinct. #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/8vxNu4rUoP
— Aaron Lavinsky (@ADLavinsky) May 28, 2020
President Trump has deployed the National Guard to the region and, in one tweet, threatened to have military personnel shoot demonstrators who are being destructive.
“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,” he said. “A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.”
