Nigeria Abroad
Racial tension and uncertainty have gripped downtown Minneapolis days before the trial of Derek Chauvin, White police officer charged with second-degree murder of George Floyd, the Black man whose killing, May 25, 2020, sparked global outrage.
Some businesses are “boarding up” as owners fear likely crowd disturbance during the trial scheduled to begin Monday March 8, 2021.
Looting from the protests last year affected shops and nearby businesses, leading also to injuries and some fatalities.
City officials are taking precautions to forestall unwanted events. Barbed wire and concrete surround Hennepin County Government Center, the courthouse where the trial is expected to begin. The jail and city hall are also protected.
A security measure tagged “Operation Safety Net” has also been announced to ramp up heavy security presence during the trial, involving local and state agencies, including the FBI.
Already, online outrage has followed a judge’s ruling Tuesday that only one member of George Floyd’s family will be allowed to attend the trial. The family called the ruling “disappointing” even as it said the situation was understandable.
“We want peaceful protests,” said chief of Minneapolis Police Department Medaria Arradondo, saying protesters are free to converge but absent violence.
But while some businesses are boarding up and more plan to do so as trial nears, others want to open in hopes of getting a boost if demonstrations remain peaceful.
“I don’t want to put our staff or any of our guests in harm’s way,” a White business owner Dermot Cowley told a reporter yesterday. “There’s just not many people in downtown right now and, with the start of the Chauvin trial, there’s a lot of us very concerned people will still be nervous about coming down.”
A council official however said with the level of preparedness ahead of the trial, public safety is assured.
This story first appeared in Nigeria Abroad
