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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — For the fourth consecutive evening, the intersection outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department was the epicenter of calls for justice over the deadly police shooting of Daunte Wright.
Protesters began to gather outside the building just before 5 p.m. for an official protest, but tensions began to rise a couple hours later as the area became saturated with more protesters.
Officials with the public safety coalition Operation Safety Net said some people in the crowd began shooting fireworks and throwing items at law enforcement, while some worked to take down a fence around the police station.
(credit: CBS)
Just after 9 p.m., law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly and gave the first order to disperse. Three more orders were given, with the fourth occurring just after the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect in the city.
The scale of police presence Wednesday was much larger than the previous three nights of protests.
Curfew in Brooklyn Center starts at 10pm. While we’ve seen people leave the protest, we’ve also seen people just now show up. Another clash with law enforcement feels inevitable. @WCCO #DaunteWright pic.twitter.com/aP36iYIdXV
— Jeff Wagner (@Jeff_Wagner4) April 15, 2021
Long line of National Guard vehicles immediately south of the Brooklyn Center police department. Stationary for now. @WCCO pic.twitter.com/UP4kjWuU9j
— David Schuman (@david_schuman) April 15, 2021
Police used a barrage of tear gas canisters to clear the area right in front of the police station, and began to make arrests at about 10:30 p.m.
The convoy’s started inching forward, leading two large buses with bars on the windows. We know people arrested last night were rounded up into buses. https://t.co/Vz8NCOqjHl pic.twitter.com/zSocdM71gd
— David Schuman (@david_schuman) April 15, 2021
READ MORE: Minneapolis, St. Paul Won’t Impose Curfews Wednesday Night; Brooklyn Center And Others Will
Earlier in the evening, a few hundred people gathered to share their message, as Minnesota National Guard troops watched from the other side of barriers.
“These are my people, and right now we’re just hurting right now,” Prior Lake resident Quinn Redeemed said. “We really want to see change. We want to feel it in our soul, in our gut soul, where they don’t have to verbally tell us or the news don’t have to come and tell us that this has happened. As a Black community right now, we want to feel it in our gut.”
Some feel some justice has begun. Former officer Kim Potter posted bond and got out of jail Wednesday night, just hours after she was charged with second-degree manslaughter by the Washington County Attorney’s office and arrested by agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
READ MORE: Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott Suddenly Thrust Into Debate Over Policing
(credit: CBS)
But others feel she got off easy, starting with her being able to step down from her job.
“The lady say it was a mistake, everyone made mistakes, but we need her to be fired,” said Alexander Peters, who lives near the police department. “They do need her to be fired, not resign, they don’t need resignation.”
Halfway through the protest, Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, agitating some protesters. A potential clash is why some nonprofits, like Trey Pollard’s We Push for Peace, is back here again.
“We was kind of in the back of the front line of protesters because that’s where the water bottles and the bricks and stuff is being thrown, so that’s what we trying to prevent from happening,” Pollard said.
READ MORE: ‘I Came Here To Honor’: Community Members Mourn The Loss Of Daunte Wright
As community groups continued to feed neighbors and those attending the rally, the mood near the police station began to grow hostile.
The potential for another night of unrest lingered in the air – with curfew just a few hours away.
“We don’t have to tear stuff up in order for our voices to be heard,” Pollard said.
Forty people were arrested Monday during the second night of protests, and 79 were arrested Tuesday night.
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