Mob Drives Police Away
This is big. This is big. From a crime beat reporter at the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
And just like that, the MPD has surrendered its 3rd Precinct police station to protesters: “Airing information citywide, the 3rd Precinct has been compromised.”
— Libor Jany (@StribJany) May 29, 2020
From the paper’s courts reporter, on the scene. He says that the Third Precinct is on fire:
Yes fire in entry #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/dYwFm1ZRgk
— Chao Xiong (@ChaoStrib) May 29, 2020
Celebratory fireworks from the mob!
Fireworks over @MinneapolisPD 3rd Precinct after crowds swarm inside. No sign of police response to deter them yet. #NBCNews #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/6Tb8x9dMRe
— Morgan Chesky (@BreakingChesky) May 29, 2020
The 3rd precinct building is now on fire. Rioters are celebrating and posing for pictures in front of the flames. pic.twitter.com/j5IrK8ARUd
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 29, 2020
UPDATE: Libor Jany understands the symbolism of this moment:
A police station in a major U.S. city: https://t.co/F63IbLYw7f
— Libor Jany (@StribJany) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.2: The evacuation:
This is the moment when Minneapolis police officers abandoned the 3rd precinct building. Rioters chased them as they left and continued to throw objects at the police vehicles. pic.twitter.com/KoxAAYiUIN
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.3: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Well then.
….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.4: Consider the insanity of this: a public service announcement from the City urging the mob to step back from the police station they’re burning down, in case it goes all splodey-dope:
We're hearing unconfirmed reports that gas lines to the Third Precinct have been cut and other explosive materials are in the building.
If you are near the building, for your safety, PLEASE RETREAT in the event the building explodes.
— City of Minneapolis (@CityMinneapolis) May 29, 2020
No police in sight pic.twitter.com/baiDgxktNi
— Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) May 29, 2020
Good; I hope they shoot anybody who tries to break in:
Lawful black firearms owners standing guard outside their businesses. pic.twitter.com/UyV5uHw3cW
— Ezra Levant ? (@ezralevant) May 28, 2020
Gunshots ring out in Minneapolis as fires continue to burn all around. Even self-protected businesses are struggling to contain mobs of armed looters. #BlackLivesMatter #Antifa #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/23ZNrWmcTB
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.5: I wanted the President to take a tough stand on the violence, but those fighting words are just going to up the ante, and force a bloody confrontation.
Think of where we are as a country: 40 million unemployed; the economic wrecked by this pandemic, which is not close to being over; we’ve all endured 10 weeks of lockdown; a lot of people — not just inner-city black people — are angry and frustrated and scared and just waiting for something to go off. And summer has just begun.
UPDATE.6: The Progressive Sage Of Flint speaks:
Good citizens burning down the evil police precinct in MN after all police were out & safe. All police should go home. No violence please. Police HQ must be demolished by the city tomorrow as a show of contrition to black America. Rebuild PD with decent kind ppl aka ppl of color
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.7: What a night in Minnesota! Here are some things that we are not supposed to notice:
Rioters in Minnesota blast audio from The Purge on a loud speaker: “Any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours.”#BlackLivesMatter #antifa #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/3h8zSLNMTS
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 29, 2020
Food and supplies looted from stores were redistributed to their rioting comrades? The anarchy, violence and chaos witnessed in the last 72 hours in Minneapolis is what antifa's vision for society looks like. https://t.co/FZf1nzeg2a
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.8: My gosh, on live television, these moronic cops!
Seems like Minneapolis is cursed with the dumbest, most ham-handed police force in America. https://t.co/piCbvyk97Y
— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) May 29, 2020
On the other hand, this guy is lucky they don’t arrest people for trying to tell people that what they’re seeing is not what’s happening:
MSNBC reporter says “I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly."
As a building burns in the background…
pic.twitter.com/KGrtpPsF3E— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.9: This is full of profanity and the n-word, so be warned … but it’s important to realize what the authorities are dealing with. This is an antifa activist on antifa’s web channel. He’s threatening murder and violence.
Person at Minneapolis BLM race riot makes it clear that this is revenge and that the worst is yet to come. "One of ours, two of yours," he shouts. "We comin' for ya'll n—! This is only the beginning, mother f—!" #BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloyd #antifa pic.twitter.com/5JNhq0qags
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 29, 2020
UPDATE.10: While I was busy staying up all night to finish an editorial project (sun’s rising, I’m going to bed), I see that Black Lives Matter rioters broke into the Ohio Statehouse and vandalized it.
More video from when the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus was breached and stormed by BLM rioters last night. #BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/g6hQtUMasG
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 29, 2020
I’m about to crash for some hours. Hope everyone is here when I wake up, and we can make some sense of this.
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