2020–2023 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest

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2020–2023 Minneapolis–Saint Paul
racial unrest
Part of the United States racial unrest (2020–present)
Protesters march in downtown Minneapolis on May 28, 2020, three days after the murder of George Floyd.
DateMay 26, 2020 –
May 2, 2023[citation needed]
(2 years, 11 months and 1 week)
Location
Caused by
Goals
  • Justice for George Floyd and others killed as a result of police brutality
  • End to police brutality
  • Address historic
    racial injustice
Methods
riots
Casualties
Death(s)
  • Calvin Horton Jr. (May 27, 2020)
  • Oscar Lee Stewart Jr. (May 28, 2020)
  • Deona Marie Knajdek (June 13, 2021)
  • Deshaun Hill Jr. (February 9, 2022)
Damage$500 million for the period of May 26 to early June 2020

In the early 2020s, the

racial injustice.[4]

Many specific protests over Floyd's murder were described as peaceful events, but Minneapolis–Saint Paul experienced widespread rioting, looting, and property destruction over a three-night period in late May 2020 that resulted in $500 million in property damage, the second-most destructive period of local unrest in U.S. history, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[5][6] Local protests sparked a global protest movement over police brutality and racial justice, and affected state and local policies, local economic conditions, and residents' well-being.

Unrest over Floyd's murder continued as protesters sought justice for Floyd and made broader calls to address

structural racism in Minnesota and residents reacted to other incidents, with many protest events part of the larger Black Lives Matter movement.[7] While some demonstrations were violent and generated controversy, protesters from varying backgrounds came to rally against what they perceived as the normalization of the killings of innocent black people.[8][9][10][11]

Events in 2020

Arrangement is chronological by the beginning date of each notable event series; timelines for some topics overlap.

George Floyd protests, May 26, 2020–May 2, 2023

Protesters marching in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, the day after Floyd's murder. A protester's sign reads, "Justice for George Floyd" and "#I CANT BREATHE".

Protests began in Minneapolis on May 26, the day after the murder of George Floyd, when a video of the incident had circulated widely in the media. By midday, people had gathered by the thousands at the location of Floyd's murder and set up a makeshift memorial.[12][13] Organizers of the rally emphasized keeping the protest peaceful.[14] Protesters and Floyd's family demanded that all four officers at the scene of his arrest and death be charged with murder and that judicial consequences be swift.[15][16] That evening, the protest rally turned into a march to the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct station, where the officers were believed to work. After the main protest group disbanded, a small skirmish the night of May 26 resulted in minor property damage at the station and the police firing tear gas at demonstrators.[5][7][13][14]

Protests were held at several locations in the

white supremacist organizations, who local police investigators said was deliberately inciting racial tension, led to a chain reaction of fires and looting.[17] The unrest, including demonstrators overtaking the Minneapolis third precinct police station and setting it on fire the night of May 28, garnered significant national and international media attention.[7] After state officials mobilized Minnesota National Guard troops in its largest deployment since World War II,[18][19] the violent unrest subsided and mostly peaceful protests resumed.[7]

Violence and property destruction in May 2020 resulted in two deaths,[20][21] 617 arrests,[22][23] and more than $500 million in property damage to 1,500 locations, making it the second-most destructive period of local unrest in U.S. history, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[6][24][25][23]

George Floyd Square occupation protest, May 26–ongoing

George Floyd Square, August 2020.

On May 26, the day after George Floyd's murder, an occupation protest emerged at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, where Floyd was murdered.[26][27] Protesters turned the area into a makeshift memorial and erected barricades to keep automobile traffic out, and police officers largely avoided the area in the following months. Thousands of visitors protested and grieved at the site, which was adorned with public art installments and described as like a "shrine".[28] When Minneapolis city officials attempted to negotiate reopening the intersection in August 2020, protesters demanded that the city meet a list of 24 demands before removing cement barricades around it.[29]

The Minneapolis Planning Commission recommended to the city council that Chicago Avenue between 37th and 39th streets be named "George Perry Floyd Jr Place",[30] and the city designated the intersection as one of seven cultural districts in the city.[31] The city also allocated $4.7 million to establish a permanent memorial at the site, though by the end of 2020, it was unable to reach agreement with community organizations that had presented officials with a list of demands before opening the intersection back up.[32][33] The occupation protests persisted in 2021.[34][35] City crews removed cement barricades at the intersection on June 3, 2021, as part of a phased reopening process,[36] and vehicular traffic resumed on June 20, after having been closed for over a year.[37][38]

Despite the intersection reopening to vehicular traffic, by the end of 2021, the occupied protest at George Floyd Square had persisted for 19 months.[39] Tension persisted between organizers of the occupied protest, neighborhood residents, and city officials into 2023.[40]

Michael Freeman protests, May 27–late 2020

A volunteer campaigns to recall Michael O. Freeman, June 11, 2020.

In the aftermath of Floyd's murder, protests were held regarding Hennepin County Attorney

Hennepin County and the initial prosecutor of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's murder. Protesters were outraged by comments Freeman made on May 28, 2020, when he said, "There is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge", referencing how officials were reviewing evidence about whether to charge the police officers with crimes. Freeman later said the remarks were misinterpreted and were meant to convey a thorough review of all available evidence.[41]

The

shooting of Justine Damond.[43] A group also launched a petition drive to recall Freeman.[44]

Freeman later sold his house in late 2020 at less than the assessed value. Some protesters viewed Freeman's home move as a success of their efforts to pressure him politically.[41]

Police abolition movement, June 6, 2020–November 2, 2021

defund police" rally at Powderhorn Park, June 7, 2020.

Protesters of Floyd's murder in Minneapolis and elsewhere began calling for reforms of police forces, including defunding, downsizing, or abolishing traditional police departments. Led by local organization Black Visions Collective, thousands of protesters marched in Minneapolis on June 6, 2020.[45] The march ended at the home of Mayor Jacob Frey. The crowd demanded that he come outside and asked if he supported abolishing the city's police force. When Frey responded that he did not, the crowd ordered him to leave and booed him away.[46][47][45]

On June 7, 2020, at a Powderhorn Park rally organized by Black Visions Collective and several other black-led social justice organizations, nine of the 13 members of the Minneapolis City Council vowed before a large crowd to dismantle the city's police department.[48][49] Activists who organized the rally wanted to replace the police department with unarmed public safety responders, but details about the proposal were indefinite.[50][51]

The effort to replace the Minneapolis police department with a public safety department continued in 2020 and 2021. A ballot measure was put before Minneapolis voters in the municipal election on November 2, 2021. If passed, city officials would have 30 days to establish a Department of Public Safety, though the exact structure of the new department, the services it would provide, the number of police officers it employed, and its funding level would be determined through a series of city ordinances.[52] Voters rejected the ballot measure, which required at least 51% to pass, with 80,506 votes (56.2%) cast for "no" and 62,813 (43.8%) for "yes".[53]

Christopher Columbus statue toppling, June 10

A demonstrator raises a fist next to the empty pedestal, June 10, 2020.

An American Indian Movement group tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus outside the state capitol building in Saint Paul on June 10 as the global protest movement turned toward removing monuments and memorials with controversial legacies.[54]

Earlier in the day, members of the American Indian Movement, led by Mike Forcia of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, announced their intention to topple the statue. State Patrol troopers and a Department of Public Safety tribal liaison met with organizers before the event,[55] encouraging them to follow a legal process for removal[56] and warning them that they could face charges for destruction of public property.[55][56] Forcia countered that they had already waited far too long, having worked through official channels for years without success.[55][56][57] American Indian Movement members and other demonstrators, including Dakota and Ojibwe community members,[55] looped a rope around the statue and pulled it off its granite pedestal. The group drummed, sang songs, and took photos with the fallen statue. No one was arrested at the event. State Patrol troopers watched from a distance and did not intervene.[56] Troopers eventually formed a line to protect the statue before it was transported offsite.[55]

In December, Forcia agreed to a plea deal and accepted 100 hours in community service in connection with the incident. Officials estimated the cost to repair the statue would be over $154,000.[58]

Minneapolis police union protests, June 12

A protester holds a sign at the Minneapolis police federation on June 12, 2020.

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, the union representing Minneapolis Police Department officers, and its elected leader were the subject of several protest events. Protesters gathered at the Police Officers Federation building in Minneapolis on June 12 to demand the resignation of Bob Kroll, head of the city's police union, who had characterized the protests and Black Lives Matter as a "terrorist organization". Thousands of people stretched in every direction from the federation building and listened to speeches by community leaders.[59][43] Protesters returned on June 25. Kroll had earlier said he would not step down from the post. Protesters said they would continue protesting until their demands were met.[60]

Juneteenth commemoration, June 19

Juneteenth march in north Minneapolis, June 19, 2020.

On June 19, dozens of

eight minutes 46 seconds of silence at 11:00 a.m. CDT on June 9, 2020, in memory of Floyd, which coincided with the beginning of Floyd's funeral in Houston, Texas.[63] He also proclaimed June 19 "Juneteenth Freedom Day" and called on the legislature to make it an annual state holiday.[64]

Calvin Griffith statue removal, June 19

The Minnesota Twins removed the statue of former owner Calvin Griffith outside the team's Target Field baseball stadium in Minneapolis on June 19. In a statement, the team said the "statue reflects an ignorance on our part of systemic racism present in 1978, 2010 and today". Griffith's legacy was tarnished after racist comments he made in a 1978 speech at the Waseca Lions Club, but a statue of him was placed in the stadium's plaza when it opened in 2010.[65][66]

State capitol protest, June 24

In June, George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul broadened to issues of historic racism and police brutality, with events nearly every day. Protesters gathered outside the governor's mansion in Saint Paul on June 24 and called on him to reconvene the legislature in a special session to pass police reform measures. Lawmakers had recently adjourned a special session without agreeing to legislation on the topic.[67]

Breonna Taylor protests, June 26

A Breonna Taylor cardboard cutout at a rally at the state capitol building in Saint Paul, June 2020.

Protesters seeking justice for Breonna Taylor held a "Red Sunday" march on June 26 and gathered at several Twin Cities locations.[68]

Pride parade protests, June 28

Despite the cancellation of the official

LGBTQ+ people as in past years, which had been among the most well-attended Pride parade events in the country.[70] The 2020 Pride parade in the Twin Cities intersected with the Black Lives Matter movement and returned to the way it began, as a protest movement.[71]

Hachalu Hundessa protests, June 30

On June 30, several hundred protesters from Minnesota's Oromo diaspora gathered outside the Minnesota state capitol building to protest the killing of Hachalu Hundessa, a popular musician and political activist who was shot and killed in Addis Ababa on June 28, resulting in considerable unrest in Ethiopia. On the evening of July 1, hundreds of protesters blocked Interstate 94 in Minneapolis to call for justice for Hundessa and the Oromo people.[72]

"Black 4th" rallies, July 4

Thousands took part in several peaceful demonstrations in Minneapolis and called for racial equity and justice for Floyd on July 4. Organizers of two marches, dubbed "Black 4th", through predominately white areas of the city sought to continue the momentum for police reform and raise awareness about social justice issues.[73][74]

Philando Castile commemoration, July 6

Four years after the

shooting of Philando Castile by a police officer in the Twin Cities suburb of St. Anthony, several Black Lives Matter rallies were held on July 6 to commemorate Castile and connect his killing to the global protest movement about racism and police brutality sparked by Floyd's murder.[75]

Calvin Horton Jr. protests, July 21

Protesters at the boarded-up Cadillac Pawn shop in Minneapolis, July 21, 2020.

On May 27, during unrest over Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, Calvin Horton Jr., a 43-year-old man from Minneapolis, was fatally shot by the owner of the Cadillac Pawn & Jewelry shop, who believed Horton was burglarizing his business. The incident took place on East Lake Street, about one mile (1.6 km) from the main protest sites.[76][77] The shop owner was arrested the night of the shooting and held in Hennepin County Jail for several days, but was released pending further investigation.[78] There were no new developments in the case by July 21, 2020, when family and supporters of Horton protested outside the store and demanded the owner be charged with murder.[78]

In December 2020, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman's office declined to file charges against the pawn shop owner after a six-month investigation due to lack of evidence that the shooting was not self-defense.[79]

Powderhorn Park encampment closure, August 14

Powderhorn Park
, July 20, 2020.

A sprawling encampment at Powderhorn Park generated controversy as it grew to 560 tents by mid-July.[80] Numerous sexual assaults, fights, and drug use at the encampment generated alarm for nearby residents. The city had pushed to connect people experiencing homeless with services, including establishing three new shelters, and shelter beds remained available. Officials adopted a deescalation for disbanding camps due to the ongoing civil unrest, and when they attempted to remove tents at non-permitted sites, they faced opposition from a sanctuary movement and protest groups.[81] After violence and multiple sexual assaults at Powderhorn Park, the park board cleared it of tents on August 14, 2020, as police faced off with protesters and fired pepper spray.[82]

Sympathy protest for Portland, Oregon, July 23

On July 23, Minnesotans gathered at a federal courthouse and marched through downtown Minneapolis in opposition to the deployment of federal troops to protests in Portland, Oregon.[83]

Bob Kroll residential protest, August 15

Anti-Bob Kroll graffiti in Minneapolis, June 13, 2020.

On August 15, a 100-person protest group led by

St. Paul
, drew controversy. Thompson said in his speech, "You think we give a fuck about burning Hugo down?" and "Fuck Hugo."

Some of Thompson's remarks were said to be directed at children who were present. The event also featured the bashing of

effigies of Kroll and Collin. Several local media members condemned the symbolic display of violence against a woman journalist. Inflammatory rhetoric at the event was also condemned by leaders of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican parties, and led to an apology from Thompson.[84][9][85]

Police station vandalized, August 15

Late at night on August 15, a group of approximately 50 people marched to Minneapolis's fifth precinct police station in what was initially described as a peaceful protest, but it became violent when people threw rocks at windows, threw paint on the building, and shot commercial-grade fireworks at police officers before fleeing the scene. Mayor Frey and Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins said the destruction was not the solution to problems with policing.[11][86] In 2021, a man from Blaine, Minnesota pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges related to the unrest and other incidents.[87][86]

Jacob Blake protests, August 24

Minneapolis police officers with riot gear, August 24, 2020.

On August 23,

Kenosha, Wisconsin, as police officers were attempting to arrest Blake. In reaction to the incident, protests and unrest occurred in Wisconsin and elsewhere. On August 24 in Minneapolis, a 100-person protest over Blake's shooting took place in the city's downtown area, and after the main protest group disbanded, some protesters became violent and broke windows and threatened to breach a jail facility, resulting in 11 arrests.[90] One Minneapolis police officer suffered a broken hand during a confrontation with a demonstrator.[91]

Riots over false rumors of a police shooting, August 26–28

Hennepin County
sheriff officers on patrol after looting and vandalism, August 27, 2020.

Rioting and looting in downtown Minneapolis came as reaction to false rumors that Eddie Sole Jr., a 38-year-old African American man, had been shot and killed by Minneapolis police officers on August 26.[92] Surveillance video showed that Sole had died by suicide, a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, during a manhunt for a homicide suspect in which he was the person of interest as police officers closed in to arrest him after a foot chase.[93] Controversially, the police released the CCTV camera footage of the suicide in attempts to stop the unrest.[94]

Overnight destruction the night of August 26 led to at least 132 arrests for violence and looting,[95] as damage to 77 properties occurred in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan region,[96][97] including five buildings that were set on fire, including the Target Corporation headquarters building.[96][98][99] Governor Walz declared a state of emergency and deployed National Guard troops, and Mayor Frey imposed on overnight curfew.[100] Nearly 1,000 members of law enforcement and 400 Minnesota National Guard troops amassed in the metro area to prevent more lawlessness, and calm prevailed after August 27.[101][102]

Wall of Forgotten Natives, September 3

Franklin-Hiawatha encampment north gate, October 1, 2020.

Two years after a large camp was disbanded near Hiawatha and Franklin avenues in Minneapolis, on September 3 a group backed by protesters and American Indian Movement advocates reoccupied a site they called the Wall of Forgotten Natives. The state had barricaded the site in 2018 when an encampment closed after experiencing drug overdoses, spread of disease, violence, fires, and deaths. In September 2020, reoccupation of the encampment with 40 tents came after the city closed another encampment on 13th Avenue due to health and safety concerns and after officials sought help from nonprofit organizations. Reestablishment of the Hiawatha encampment also came during a time of increasing confrontation between Minneapolis officials and homeless advocates, as the city had hoped to close all encampments by October.[81]

Pretrial hearing for Chauvin, Lane, and Keung, and Thao protests, September 11

Hundreds rallied outside the Hennepin County Government Center, a downtown Minneapolis local government and court building, on September 11 during a pretrial hearing for the four police officers at the scene of Floyd's murder—former officers Chauvin, Lane, and Keung, and Thao.

Peter Cahill, the presiding judge, rejected their motion.[104]

Blocking the third precinct police station, September 16

After the third precinct station burned down during the May riots, police officers worked out of the convention center in downtown Minneapolis.[105] In August, officials pursued a lease agreement for a temporary police station at a privately owned building on Minnehaha Avenue in the Seward neighborhood. A neighborhood group that supported the police abolition movement pushed back against the city and organized a "Blocked the Precinct Block party" protest rally near the site.[106] The city's lease agreement fell apart in September after opposition from community groups and threats of violence against the property owner and police officers. Police investigated threats to burn the property down and the building was tagged with anti-police graffiti, including a call for "the literal deaths of individual police officers".[105]

Brooklyn Center arson fraud, September 23

Denis Molla, a 30-year old man from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, gained widespread media attention after he alleged that in the early morning hours of September 23, 2020, his detached garage and camper were vandalized with graffiti and set on fire by supporters of Black Lives Matter and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. In media interviews about the incident, he speculated that he was the victim of a politically motivated attack as retaliation for displaying a flag in support of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Molla submitted $300,000 in insurance claims for property damage, which his insurer mostly denied.[107][108][109]

After the Brooklyn Center Police Department and the FBI investigated the incident and the insurance claims, Molla was charged in U.S. District Court in July 2022 with two counts of wire fraud, as prosecutors said in charging documents that he set his own property on fire and painted the graffiti messages himself. In October 2022, Molla pleaded guilty to federal

wire fraud charges for receiving $61,000 in insurance claims and $17,000 from donors via GoFundMe.[107][108][109] He was sentenced on June 8, 2023, to 2.5 years in prison and one year of supervised release.[110]

Derek Chauvin bail protests, October 7

On October 7, protesters took to the streets and held rallies at several places in Minneapolis to express anger over the release on bail of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police Department officer charged with murdering George Floyd. Chauvin was later fired from the department and arrested. He posted $1 million bail for his release pending trial. (The bail was later revoked on April 20, 2021, eight weeks before his sentencing, because Chauvin was found guilty.) Governor Walz sent 100 National Guardsmen, 100 state police troops, and 75 conservation officers to keep the peace.[111] Law enforcement made 51 arrests late on October 7, of which 49 were for misdemeanor offenses such as unlawful assembly, one was for assault, and one was for an outstanding felony warrant.[112]

Election night demonstration, November 3

A police officer with a rifle during protests on November 3, 2020.

Several business in Minneapolis and Saint Paul boarded up windows and doors on November 3 preparing for possible unrest related to the

rioting and fourth-degree assault. No injuries were reported.[114]

Interstate 94 protest, November 4

Protesters on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis on November 4, 2020.

On November 4, as part of a national day of protests led by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression following the U.S. presidential election,[115][116] several local social justice organizations converged for protest marches through Minneapolis with the mantra, "Don't Let Trump Steal the Election", in reference to President Donald Trump's claims that the election was stolen and his attempts to overturn its results.[116]

After marching through downtown, protesters entered onto Interstate 94, blocking vehicular traffic. As they attempted to exit the highway, Minneapolis police and Minnesota state patrol officers fired tear gas and then kettled and arrested 646 people for public nuisance and unlawful assembly, while continuing to block traffic for several hours. Most of those arrested were cited and released.[117][116]

A 19-year-old woman from Golden Valley was charged with felony second-degree riot for pointing a laser in a police officer's eyes, and a 29-year-old woman from Minneapolis was charged with fourth-degree assault and obstructing the legal process for kicking a police officer.[118] The charge against the 19-year-old, who tried to take a plea deal, was later dropped by the judge.[115]

The mass arrest of 646 people was the largest in recent Minnesota history. In the aftermath, activists demanded that charges against demonstrators be dropped. The Minneapolis City Attorney's Office later pursued charges in 588 of the cases, saying that the demonstration was not protected by the First Amendment as it broke several laws and endangered motorists and pedestrians.[115] Several hundred demonstrators accepted plea agreements to suspend prosecution in exchange for a $175 fine and six hours of community service. About 280 people rejected plea agreements.[115] Among those who rejected a plea deal was Sara Jane Olson, a leftist radical in the late 1970s; she was convicted of a petty misdemeanor in 2021 and ordered to pay a $378 fine.[116]

Thanksgiving Day statue vandalism, November 26

In the early morning hours of November 26, a statute of

anticolonial graffiti. A few miles away at BF Nelson Park, a monument depicting three generations of pioneers was spray painted with the words "no thanks", "no more genocide", "decolonize", and "land back". The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board said it was investigating the incidents, but was aware of the controversy about the historic context of the statues. The vandalism came six months after a protest group toppled a Christopher Columbus statue outside the Minnesota state capitol building.[119]

Reaction to the killing of Dolal Idd, December 30

The secured crime scene in Minneapolis on December 30, 2020.

Protests emerged the evening of December 30 after police shot and killed Dolal Idd at a Holiday gas station near the intersection of Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street in Minneapolis. The shooting happened at approximately 6:15 p.m., less than a one mile (1.6 km) from where George Floyd was murdered in May,[120] and was the first fatal police shooting in the city since then.[121] Few details were known about the shooting as approximately 100 protesters gathered at the scene. Some protesters shouted expletives and threw snowballs at police officers. Officers prepared to use pepper spray if assaulted by demonstrators. By late evening, the scene was calmer, as protesters blocked an intersection and built a bonfire.[122] Several people attended a vigil on December 31 near the intersection of Cedar Avenue and East 36th Street for Idd and other victims of police violence.[121]

New Year's Eve riot, December 31

Minneapolis police officers on duty during protests in the early morning hours of January 1, 2021.

Seventy-five demonstrators gathered in downtown Minneapolis on December 31 to protest police brutality. Police learned of the rally from a social media posting calling on people to wear black clothing and masks and to help "burn the precincts & the prisons [sic]". From the downtown area, demonstrators walked to Commons Park near U.S. Bank Stadium, where police observed the group shooting fireworks at motorists, painting graffiti on the walls of local government buildings, and disrupting traffic.[123] That night, authorities gave orders for a crowd to disperse, but some people refused. At least 15 were detained for allegedly rioting and 21 were cited and released.[124] Five were charged with felony riot and for being armed with a dangerous weapon.[123]

The demonstration had been scheduled several weeks earlier and was unrelated to the killing of Dolal Idd.[124]

Events in 2021

Arrangement is chronological by the beginning date of each notable event series; timelines for some topics overlap.

Dolal Idd protest march, January 3

On January 3, 2021, as many as 1,000 protesters marched peacefully in south Minneapolis to express outrage over Dolal Idd's killing by Minneapolis police and a search of the Idd family home by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.[125]

Downtown Minneapolis racial justice protest, January 9

Several hundred people gathered in downtown Minneapolis on January 9, 2021, to protest racial injustice at a rally that featured speeches, hand-drawn signs, and chats. Protesters connected Idd's death on December 30, 2020, to Floyd and Jacob Blake. The week before the downtown Minneapolis gathering, a Wisconsin prosecutor declined to press charges against the police officer who shot Blake, which protesters at the rally objected to.[126]

Protesters then marched from the

white supremacists that overwhelmed Capitol police in Washington, D.C., who took little action to stop them.[126]

Presidential inauguration protest, January 20

"Biden is not the solution, keep fighting" sign at George Floyd Square, January 20, 2021.

On the day of the presidential

Trump administration policies affecting immigrant and minority communities. Protesters gathered at South High School and marched along Lake Street past the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct building that was set on fire in May 2020 after Floyd's murder.[127] The day's events were organized by the local Black Lives Matter chapter and other social justice organizations. The group's demands included dropping criminal charges against people who were prosecuted during the 2020 George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and the 600 people who were arrested on November 4, 2020, for blocking traffic on Interstate 94.[128][129]

Police reform protests, March 6

Approximately 150 people marched and rallied at the governor's mansion in Saint Paul ahead of the trial of Derek Chauvin scheduled for March 8, 2021. The event, organized by Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, sought to pressure state and local officials to enact police reform legislation and reevaluate cases where people died under police pursuit or arrest.[130] In another protest march, demonstrators in Minneapolis marched from George Floyd Square to the Hennepin County Government Center and back.[131]

Trial of Derek Chauvin protests, March 7–April 19

Protest march in Minneapolis, March 7, 2021.

On March 7, 2021, several hundred protesters marched in downtown Minneapolis and rallied outside the Hennepin County Government Center building to mourn George Floyd and call for reform of policing. The event, dubbed the "'I Can't Breathe' Silent March For Justice" by its organizers, came a day before jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin. Protesters carried a white-colored replica coffin adorned with red flowers. Another group of faith leaders held a "Pray for MN" gathering at the government center building later that afternoon.[131]

Approximately 1,000 protesters gathered peacefully outside a downtown courthouse as Chauvin's trial commenced on March 8 to call for justice for Floyd and raise broader issues of racial injustice. Officials had surrounded the facility with a temporary concrete barrier, metal fencing, and barbed wire in anticipation of potential unrest. Protests and rallies planned for George Floyd Square were halted for several days after a fatal shooting there on March 6, 2021.[132]

On March 28, 2021, the day before opening statements in Chauvin's trial, several rallies and protests were held in Minneapolis. Floyd's family and Al Sharpton hosted a vigil at the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Separately, protesters marched in downtown Minneapolis to demand justice for Floyd and rallied at the Hennepin County Government Center and City Hall, and some demonstrators parked cars on the Metro light-rail tracks, which closed train traffic for several hours. At the intersection where Floyd was murdered, a group of people who self-identified as "anarchists" and "anti-fascists" held a training workshop on how to avoid arrest and keep calm if detained by police. Protesters claimed that the intersection was not public property and demanded that journalists leave the area before the workshop began.[133]

George Floyd Square remained an important gathering place during Chauvin's trial for people protesting racial injustice and seeking justice for Floyd. The square hosted daily visitors from around the country who made pilgrimages there.[134] Groups of protesters also gathered outside Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis during Chauvin's trial and marched on the streets calling for justice.[135] On April 6, several civil rights leaders, including Sharpton and former New York Governor David Paterson, led a rally outside the government building and prayed for Chauvin's conviction.[136] The trial concluded on April 19, 2021, and the jury began deliberations.[137]

"Stop Asian Hate" rally, March 28