Lake and Minnehaha
When I became cognizant that I'd been yelling on the internet all morning (challenging ignorance and misguided thinking and blocking racists), I knew it was time for action.
https://instagram.com/p/CAwzCI0pntY
Here are some pictures from last night.
I caught several videos of the police throwing tear gas, flash bangs, and shooting rubber bullets at everyone. I was there until they mobilized the national guard to move all the cops out of the precinct. They gave up on it and let the few people who were feeling especially angry destroy it.
There was zero police presence until people started throwing water bottles at several already-broken windows. They were on the roof and in the precinct though, and when the front fence came down (again, 1 or 2 people did this), they suddenly appeared and launched tear gas into the crowd. That was the only time we were caught by surprise (as in, the remaining times we could move out of the way more quickly), but everyone there was prepared to deal with it. Lots of baking soda/water, marshalls ready to help people out and give first aid. I got it worst in my eyes, Bethany inhaled a lot of it. We were wearing masks and both have glasses, so it helped some. We were in short sleeves, but I'd brought a long-sleeved shirt just in case. The tear gas started a lot earlier than I expected it to, so my arms and hands were burning all night, but it was manageable.
Tear gas is actually a fine powder, not a gas, and it settles in any secretions and targets a specific pain receptor. It tastes sour and acrid.
As per the norm at protests, 95% of people were peaceful. Honestly a lot of the protest was quiet standing there, punctuated by chants and cheers and righteous yelling. People were offering each other water and first aid and checking in. A lot.
There was destruction. I am most suspicious of a large fire that occurred on the block, but outside of the protest zone. It was a bad fire.
There were two or three people who, as darkness fell and the officers settled on the lawn behind the fence, started hurling rocks and other small objects. That was a great excuse to start launching rubber bullets into the crowd and pushed everyone behind the Target fence and trees for a bit while they refortified. I was most scared of the bullets whizzing by. I actually have a video earlier on where we're all standing a safe distance, but one of the rock throwers was to my left, and you can HEAR the high-speed bullet on my camera fly by me.
My ears hurt from all the flash-bangs, but starting from around 9:30p, Bethany and I kept on the side of our escape route if we needed to run. I'd parked 2.5 miles away, near where George Floyd was murdered. The wind was working with us for the tear gas, and there were plenty of traffic cones to cover them with. I only saw two people get maced through the fence, and they were both white teenage girls? young adults? At any rate, they did not seem at all subdued in their rage.
We left when they mobilized the national guard (who were waiting in the parking lot), because we thought they were coming in for crowd control, but it turns out they might have just been evacuating the cops and abandoning the building. I still had an hour drive to bring Bethany home, and another hour back to my house. Then I stayed up until 3:30 because how could I not?
This morning my boss asked us to give a wellbeing check-in. Trent called in today for his mental health - still not sure what his beliefs are. He took a half day to clean up Lake St. and the presentation of him saying that makes me feel like he's more worried about the businesses than the lives lost. I hope I'm misinterpreting. Several other people stayed up late as well, tracking the progress. There is a lot of rumors of Proud boys and other assholes coming up to incite chaos, and that's another reason we left when we did. We didn't want to be witness to that.
I imagine today will be more locked down than other days (see the CNN reporter arrested on basically the exact spot I was standing for much of yesterday), but efforts will probably galvanize for the weekend? Not sure what's going to happen next.
https://instagram.com/p/CAwzCI0pntY
Here are some pictures from last night.
I caught several videos of the police throwing tear gas, flash bangs, and shooting rubber bullets at everyone. I was there until they mobilized the national guard to move all the cops out of the precinct. They gave up on it and let the few people who were feeling especially angry destroy it.
There was zero police presence until people started throwing water bottles at several already-broken windows. They were on the roof and in the precinct though, and when the front fence came down (again, 1 or 2 people did this), they suddenly appeared and launched tear gas into the crowd. That was the only time we were caught by surprise (as in, the remaining times we could move out of the way more quickly), but everyone there was prepared to deal with it. Lots of baking soda/water, marshalls ready to help people out and give first aid. I got it worst in my eyes, Bethany inhaled a lot of it. We were wearing masks and both have glasses, so it helped some. We were in short sleeves, but I'd brought a long-sleeved shirt just in case. The tear gas started a lot earlier than I expected it to, so my arms and hands were burning all night, but it was manageable.
Tear gas is actually a fine powder, not a gas, and it settles in any secretions and targets a specific pain receptor. It tastes sour and acrid.
As per the norm at protests, 95% of people were peaceful. Honestly a lot of the protest was quiet standing there, punctuated by chants and cheers and righteous yelling. People were offering each other water and first aid and checking in. A lot.
There was destruction. I am most suspicious of a large fire that occurred on the block, but outside of the protest zone. It was a bad fire.
There were two or three people who, as darkness fell and the officers settled on the lawn behind the fence, started hurling rocks and other small objects. That was a great excuse to start launching rubber bullets into the crowd and pushed everyone behind the Target fence and trees for a bit while they refortified. I was most scared of the bullets whizzing by. I actually have a video earlier on where we're all standing a safe distance, but one of the rock throwers was to my left, and you can HEAR the high-speed bullet on my camera fly by me.
My ears hurt from all the flash-bangs, but starting from around 9:30p, Bethany and I kept on the side of our escape route if we needed to run. I'd parked 2.5 miles away, near where George Floyd was murdered. The wind was working with us for the tear gas, and there were plenty of traffic cones to cover them with. I only saw two people get maced through the fence, and they were both white teenage girls? young adults? At any rate, they did not seem at all subdued in their rage.
We left when they mobilized the national guard (who were waiting in the parking lot), because we thought they were coming in for crowd control, but it turns out they might have just been evacuating the cops and abandoning the building. I still had an hour drive to bring Bethany home, and another hour back to my house. Then I stayed up until 3:30 because how could I not?
This morning my boss asked us to give a wellbeing check-in. Trent called in today for his mental health - still not sure what his beliefs are. He took a half day to clean up Lake St. and the presentation of him saying that makes me feel like he's more worried about the businesses than the lives lost. I hope I'm misinterpreting. Several other people stayed up late as well, tracking the progress. There is a lot of rumors of Proud boys and other assholes coming up to incite chaos, and that's another reason we left when we did. We didn't want to be witness to that.
I imagine today will be more locked down than other days (see the CNN reporter arrested on basically the exact spot I was standing for much of yesterday), but efforts will probably galvanize for the weekend? Not sure what's going to happen next.