Voices From Minneapolis Protests We’re Sick and Tired’:
“We are having peacefulspeeches, we have a reverend —” Protesters gathered outsidein Minneapolis on Saturday, for the fifth day in a row. This group was demonstrating outside the city’sFifth Police Precinct. “I can’t stand the fact thatsome people in our society can’t walk aroundwithout feeling scared that a cop is not going to cometo them with a death sentence.” Just after 8 p.m.,police came out to enforce the city’s curfew. “You are in violationof Minneapolis city curfew ordinance.”
They began firingpepper spray and tear gas to disperse the group. [screams] “I swear to God!I swear to [expletive] God —” Protesters here told us whythey were out on the streets. “Honestly, the world iswatching the United States, and more specificallyMinneapolis itself, to see how we’re goingto react and get justice for Mr. Floyd. And for me, beingout here is a huge thing.” “The MinneapolisPolice Department is notorious fortheir racism here. Black men are about13 times more likely to be killed by copsthan white men in the city. And I think that peoplejust finally had enough.” “They tortured him, right? What else is there to dobut get their attention?” Since George Floyd’s death,peaceful protests have mixed with lootingand rioting at night. Most protesters we spokewith oppose the violence, but many said they understoodthe frustration and anger people are feeling.
“No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!” “We are here forjustice for George. We’re sick and tired of beingabused and oppressed by the police. They’ve been doing that[expletive] for years and years.” “Man, we’ve got to cometogether as a people, as a one. This racism’s beengoing on for too long.” “All four hundred years or more.” “Too long.” “All this [expletive] can be replaced. The body cannot be replaced.” “The body can neverbe replaced.” “I don’t want to seebusinesses burned down. But, I mean, we’re in kindof a war zone out here. And so, that’s kind of,
I think,the least of our worries in a lot of ways.” “Bring him, bring him,bring him one block. Bring him one blockto a medic.” “What happened? Someone hit him with a bat?” “You’ve got to calm down.We’re on the same team.” “You’ve got to calm down.” “Calm down — what happened,what happened? We’ve got about12 medics here. We’re going to do the best we can. We’ve got a combatmedic here, OK? But we’ve gotto dial it down —” “We’ve got to keep it down.”
“— because they’re lookingfor any reason to kill us.” One protester describedthe violence that broke out after she confronteda group of rioters in the neighborhood. “There was a groupof guys who started screaming at the police,throwing things. I asked them, ‘Who are you? Who are you to comein here and do this?’ They ran up on mewith big steel pipes. They got in my face. And one guy came at me,holding the pipe, and he stepped in,and he took it.” “You’re goingto be all right —” “What message are we sendingby destroying what is ours? How does that, how does thatget the message out about how we needchange in our city if all we’re doingis destroying it and burning it down?”
They began firingpepper spray and tear gas to disperse the group. [screams] “I swear to God!I swear to [expletive] God —” Protesters here told us whythey were out on the streets. “Honestly, the world iswatching the United States, and more specificallyMinneapolis itself, to see how we’re goingto react and get justice for Mr. Floyd. And for me, beingout here is a huge thing.” “The MinneapolisPolice Department is notorious fortheir racism here. Black men are about13 times more likely to be killed by copsthan white men in the city. And I think that peoplejust finally had enough.” “They tortured him, right? What else is there to dobut get their attention?” Since George Floyd’s death,peaceful protests have mixed with lootingand rioting at night. Most protesters we spokewith oppose the violence, but many said they understoodthe frustration and anger people are feeling.
“No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!” “We are here forjustice for George. We’re sick and tired of beingabused and oppressed by the police. They’ve been doing that[expletive] for years and years.” “Man, we’ve got to cometogether as a people, as a one. This racism’s beengoing on for too long.” “All four hundred years or more.” “Too long.” “All this [expletive] can be replaced. The body cannot be replaced.” “The body can neverbe replaced.” “I don’t want to seebusinesses burned down. But, I mean, we’re in kindof a war zone out here. And so, that’s kind of,
I think,the least of our worries in a lot of ways.” “Bring him, bring him,bring him one block. Bring him one blockto a medic.” “What happened? Someone hit him with a bat?” “You’ve got to calm down.We’re on the same team.” “You’ve got to calm down.” “Calm down — what happened,what happened? We’ve got about12 medics here. We’re going to do the best we can. We’ve got a combatmedic here, OK? But we’ve gotto dial it down —” “We’ve got to keep it down.”
“— because they’re lookingfor any reason to kill us.” One protester describedthe violence that broke out after she confronteda group of rioters in the neighborhood. “There was a groupof guys who started screaming at the police,throwing things. I asked them, ‘Who are you? Who are you to comein here and do this?’ They ran up on mewith big steel pipes. They got in my face. And one guy came at me,holding the pipe, and he stepped in,and he took it.” “You’re goingto be all right —” “What message are we sendingby destroying what is ours? How does that, how does thatget the message out about how we needchange in our city if all we’re doingis destroying it and burning it down?”
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