:George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul

{{Main|Murder of George Floyd}}

George Floyd was an unarmed African-American man who died while he was being detained by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020, shortly after 8:00 p.m. CDT, near the Cup Foods grocery store at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, while three other officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, assisted Chauvin with Floyd's arrest and held concerned onlookers back.{{cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Evan|last2=Tiefenthäler|first2=Ainara|last3=Triebert|first3=Christiaan|last4=Jordan|first4=Drew|last5=Willis|first5=Haley|last6=Stein|first6=Robin|date=May 31, 2020|title=8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html|url-status=live|access-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605164644/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html|archive-date=June 5, 2020}} ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksEJR9EPQ8 video @ YouTube] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601201906/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksEJR9EPQ8|date=June 1, 2020}}) Floyd could be heard repeatedly on a bystander's video saying his final words: "I can't breathe", "Please", and "Mama". He appeared unconscious at the scene,{{Cite news|last=Davis|first=Zuri|date=May 26, 2020|title=Minnesota Man Dies After Video Shows Cop Pressing Knee to His Neck for Nearly 8 Minutes|work=Reason|url=https://reason.com/2020/05/26/minnesota-man-dies-after-video-shows-cop-pressing-knee-to-his-neck-for-nearly-8-minutes/|url-status=live|access-date=June 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606181030/https://reason.com/2020/05/26/minnesota-man-dies-after-video-shows-cop-pressing-knee-to-his-neck-for-nearly-8-minutes/|archive-date=June 6, 2020}} and was pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m. after being transported by ambulance to the Hennepin County Medical Center emergency room.{{Cite web|last=Sawyer|first=Liz|date=May 28, 2020|title=George Floyd Showed No Signs of Life from Time EMS Arrived, Fire Department Report Says|url=https://www.startribune.com/first-responders-worked-nearly-an-hour-to-save-floyd-before-he-was-pronounced-dead/570806682/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528194002/https://www.startribune.com/first-responders-worked-nearly-an-hour-to-save-floyd-before-he-was-pronounced-dead/570806682/|archive-date=May 28, 2020|access-date=May 29, 2020|work=Minneapolis Star-Tribune}}

By the beginning of the 21st century, Minneapolis was home to some of the largest racial disparities in the United States. The city's population of people of color and Indigenous people fared worse than the city's white population by many measures of well-being, such as health outcomes, academic achievement, income, and home ownership. The result of discriminatory policies and racism over the course of the city's history, racial disparity was described by author Tom Webber in Minneapolis: An Urban Biography as the most significant issue facing Minneapolis in the first decades of the 2000s.{{Cite book|title=Minneapolis: An Urban Biography|last=Webber|first=Tom|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press|year=2020|isbn=978-1681341613|location=Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States}}

By 2015, homeownership rates in the Twin Cities were 75 percent for white families, but only 23 percent for black families, one of the largest disparities in the nation. By 2018, unemployment for black people in Minnesota had reached a historic low of 6.9 percent, but it was still three times higher than the rate for white people.{{cite news|last=Ellis|first=Justin|date=9 June 2020|title=Minneapolis Had This Coming: My hometown faces not just a rebuilding but a reckoning|work=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/minneapolis-long-overdue-crisis/612826/|access-date=9 June 2020|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105143359/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/minneapolis-long-overdue-crisis/612826/|url-status=live}} Though black residents made up just 6 percent of Minnesota's population, they were nearly 37 percent of the state's prison population in 2016.{{cite news |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=14 April 2016 |url=https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-sends-minorities-to-prison-at-far-higher-rates-than-whites/374543811/ |title=Minnesota sends minorities to prison at far higher rates than whites |work=Star Tribune |access-date=7 July 2020 |archive-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630111822/https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-sends-minorities-to-prison-at-far-higher-rates-than-whites/374543811/ |url-status=dead }} By the 2020s, generations of the city's black residents had been unable to experience the same levels of comforts and asset accumulation as the white residents.

The Atlantic said that years of disinvestment and abandonment of the area around Lake Street in Minneapolis and city officials ignoring the needs of the community's black residents were some of the conditions that led to civil disorder in Minneapolis.

{{Further|List of killings by law enforcement officers in Minnesota}}File:5-27-2020 (61 of 61) (49943833346).jpg

George Floyd's murder was viewed by some residents as a continuation of a history of police violence in Minneapolis, where 11 people were killed by police officers between 2010 and 2020, including Floyd. In 2015, the killing of Jamar Clark, a black man, by a Minneapolis police officer led to controversy and protests; it was later determined by prosecutors that the officers had acted in self defense and no charges were filed. In 2016, the killing of Philando Castile, a black man, in nearby Falcon Heights resulted in several weeks of protests and unrest; the resulting criminal case ended with a jury acquittal for the involved officer after a 10-month process.{{cite news|last1=Hinton|first1=Elizabeth|date=29 May 2020|title=The Minneapolis Uprising in Context|work=Boston Review|url=http://bostonreview.net/race/elizabeth-hinton-minneapolis-uprising-context|access-date=2022-01-06|archive-date=November 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112155813/https://bostonreview.net/race/elizabeth-hinton-minneapolis-uprising-context|url-status=live}} In 2017, the killing of Justine Damond, a white woman, led to a 12-year prison sentence for the police officer, a black man, who shot her.

In instances where Minneapolis police officers attempted to justify the aggressive use of force against residents, a pattern emerged in which the police department would release officer statements that were later contradicted by video and other evidence, as revealed by several civil rights and wrongful death lawsuits.{{cite news |last1=Raiche |first1=Ryan |last2=Augustine |first2=Joe |date=24 July 2020 |url=https://kstp.com/news/justifying-the-force-initial-description-of-george-floyds-death-fits-larger-pattern-at-minneapolis-police-department/5801211/ |title=Justifying the Force: Initial description of George Floyd's death fits larger pattern at MPD |work=KSTP |access-date=24 July 2020 |archive-date=July 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725122948/https://kstp.com/news/justifying-the-force-initial-description-of-george-floyds-death-fits-larger-pattern-at-minneapolis-police-department/5801211/ |url-status=dead }} Some felt that the judicial system was inconsistent in that it did not hold white police officers who killed black men accountable for their actions; the video of Floyd begging for relief while being pinned by Chauvin generated further concern and anger from both white and black residents in the city.Bunn, Curtis and Charles, Nick (30 May 2020). [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-men-minneapolis-outraged-over-floyd-killing-distrustful-judicial-system-n1218126 "Black men in Minneapolis outraged over Floyd killing, distrustful of judicial system"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105143404/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-men-minneapolis-outraged-over-floyd-killing-distrustful-judicial-system-n1218126 |date=January 5, 2021 }}. NBC News. Retrieved on 7 July 2020. Floyd's murder was also the third in a string of widely reported and highly publicized incidents in which unarmed black Americans were killed in 2020, including Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Georgia on February 23 and Breonna Taylor in Louisville on March 13.{{cite web |last1=Sergent |first1=Jim |last2=Loehrke |first2=Janet |last3=Padilla |first3=Ramon |last4=Hertel |first4=Nora |date=June 1, 2020 |title=George Floyd protests: How did we get here? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/05/29/george-floyd-protests-how-did-we-get-here/5283225002/ |access-date=June 6, 2020 |website=USA Today |archive-date=May 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530080217/https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/05/29/george-floyd-protests-how-did-we-get-here/5283225002/ |url-status=live }}

{{Further|Timeline of race relations and policing in Minneapolis–Saint Paul}}

By 2020, the relationship between the Minneapolis Police Department and the community, particularly the city's black residents, had deteriorated significantly. Several killings of residents by police officers and alleged displays of racial insensitivity by police leaders contributed to the tension. In the city's Powderhorn Park neighborhood, where Floyd was murdered, some argued there had been a persisting distrust between the police and black community.{{cite news|last1=Davis|first1=Tyler|last2=Miller|first2=Ryan W.|date=27 May 2020|title=George Floyd's death another wound for Minneapolis' black community: 'Why can't I just be black in the state of Minnesota?'|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/27/george-floyds-death-african-american-distrust-minneapolis-police/5266888002/|access-date=11 June 2020|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105143436/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/27/george-floyds-death-african-american-distrust-minneapolis-police/5266888002/|url-status=live}}

The head of the police union representing Minneapolis officers, Bob Kroll, was a continuing source of controversy, having called Black Lives Matter a "terrorist organization" in 2016 after the officers involved in Clark's death were cleared of wrongdoing. His appearance at a political rally for Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2019 generated controversy when Kroll said that Trump would "let cops do their job, put the handcuffs on the criminals instead of [on] us". Controversy had also erupted when police officers put up a "ghetto" Christmas tree at the fourth police precinct station in 2018.{{cite news |last=Reeves |first=Mel |date=12 November 2019 |url=https://spokesman-recorder.com/2019/11/12/trust-level-plunges-after-kroll-embraces-trump/ |title=Trust level plunges after Kroll embraces Trump |work=Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder |access-date=7 July 2020 |archive-date=July 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708154407/https://spokesman-recorder.com/2019/11/12/trust-level-plunges-after-kroll-embraces-trump/ |url-status=live }}

The police department had a history of not holding officers accountable for complaints and disciplinary actions. Of the 80 officers fired for misconduct in the 20 years prior to the murder of Floyd, around half were reinstated. As a police officer with the department, Chauvin had received 17 complaints, but only faced discipline once.{{Cite web|date=2020-12-29|title=Minneapolis officials outline new police disciplinary plan|url=https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-officials-outline-new-police-disciplinary-plan/600004881/|url-status=dead|access-date=2020-12-30|website=Star Tribune|archive-date=December 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230000723/https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-officials-outline-new-police-disciplinary-plan/600004881/}}

File:Protest against police violence - Justice for George Floyd, May 26, 2020 05.jpg" sign, May 26, 2020]]

At 12:41 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, Minneapolis police released a statement about the arrest and murder of Floyd several hours prior.{{Cite news|author=|date=2020-05-27|title=Timeline: Death of George Floyd, reactions and protests|work=Fox-9 KMSP|url=https://www.fox9.com/news/timeline-death-of-george-floyd-reactions-and-protests|access-date=2021-05-15|archive-date=May 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529151815/https://www.fox9.com/news/timeline-death-of-george-floyd-reactions-and-protests|url-status=live}} They said that a suspected money forger had "physically resisted" arrest and suffered "medical distress" after being handcuffed by officers, leading to his death. The statement made no mention that Floyd was unarmed or that Chauvin had kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes.{{cite web | url = https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/27/us/gallery/george-floyd-demonstrations/index.html | title = In pictures: Protesting the death of George Floyd | date = May 27, 2020 | access-date = May 27, 2020 | publisher = CNN | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200528081222/https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/27/us/gallery/george-floyd-demonstrations/index.html | archive-date = May 28, 2020 | url-status = live }}{{cite news |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=3 June 2020 |url=https://www.startribune.com/mpls-police-still-haven-t-explained-misinformation-after-floyd-s-death/570970152/ |title=Minneapolis police cite 'fluid' situation for troubling misinformation released after George Floyd death |work=Star-Tribune |access-date=25 July 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603044652/https://www.startribune.com/mpls-police-still-haven-t-explained-misinformation-after-floyd-s-death/570970152/ |url-status=live }} At about the same time the police released their initial statement, Darnella Frazier, a bystander at the scene of Floyd's murder, uploaded a 10-minute video of the incident to Facebook and Instagram. The graphic video captured Floyd{{Em dash}}while laying face down, handcuffed, and pinned by Chauvin's knee{{Em dash}}saying he could not breathe and begging for his life as he lost consciousness. The video quickly went viral.{{Cite news|last=Boone|first=Anna|date=2020-06-07|title=One week that shook the world: George Floyd's death ignited protests far beyond Minneapolis|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-death-ignited-protests-far-beyond-minneapolis-police-minnesota/569930771/|access-date=May 16, 2021|archive-date=August 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825093543/https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-death-ignited-protests-far-beyond-minneapolis-police-minnesota/569930771/|url-status=live}}

Official reaction came early in the morning. By 3:11 a.m. the police department said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would join local officials in the investigation of the incident. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a 6:45 a.m. press conference, and said in reaction to the bystander video he had seen, "What we saw was horrible. Completely and utterly messed up." By mid-morning several public officials released statements condemning what they viewed in the bystander's video. Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said it was "vile and heartbreaking" and all of the officers present at the scene of Floyd's arrest should be held accountable. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar called for an independent investigation. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz promised, "We will get answers and seek justice." The four officers at the scene of Floyd's murder were placed on paid administrative leave, a standard protocol, pending further investigation.{{cite news |last=Kaul |first=Greta |date=June 1, 2020 |url=https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2020/05/what-we-know-about-the-events-surrounding-george-floyds-death-and-its-aftermath-a-timeline/ |title=Seven days in Minneapolis: a timeline of what we know about the death of George Floyd and its aftermath |work=MinnPost |access-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609033645/https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2020/05/what-we-know-about-the-events-surrounding-george-floyds-death-and-its-aftermath-a-timeline/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Ortiz |first1=Erik |last2=Mendell |first2=Donna |date=27 May 2020 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minneapolis-police-officer-center-george-floyd-s-death-had-history-n1215691 |title=Minneapolis police officer at center of George Floyd's death had history of complaints |work=NBC News |access-date=27 May 2020 |archive-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528221238/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minneapolis-police-officer-center-george-floyd-s-death-had-history-n1215691 |url-status=live }}

The Minneapolis police department's initial statement, which mis-characterized the circumstances of Floyd's death, was perceived as being radically different from what was recorded on bystander videos, and fueled public outrage.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/20/how-first-statement-minneapolis-police-made-george-floyds-murder-seem-like-george-floyds-fault/ |title=How the first statement from Minneapolis police made George Floyd's murder seem like George Floyd's fault |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 20, 2021 |access-date=November 2, 2021 |first=Philip |last=Bump |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019224303/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/20/how-first-statement-minneapolis-police-made-george-floyds-murder-seem-like-george-floyds-fault/ |url-status=live }}

File:Protesters along and around 38th Street in Minneapolis on Tuesday after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 08.jpg

By late morning on May 26, a makeshift memorial had been set up in Minneapolis outside the Cup Food store at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the street intersection where Floyd was murdered the day prior. The first organized protests emerged at the same location by midday. Some of the gathered protesters chanted, "I can't breathe", words repeated multiple times by Floyd in the viral video.{{cite news|date=May 26, 2020|title=Demonstrators gather around Minneapolis to protest death of George Floyd|language=en|work=KSTP-TV|url=https://kstp.com/news/protesters-block-minneapolis-intersection-near-site-of-mans-in-custody-death-george-floyd/5741748/|url-status=live|access-date=May 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528193258/https://kstp.com/news/protesters-block-minneapolis-intersection-near-site-of-mans-in-custody-death-george-floyd/5741748/|archive-date=May 28, 2020}} Many people carried homemade signs that read, "Black Lives Matter," "Stop Killing Black People," and "I Can't Breathe." By the afternoon, as more details about the May 25 incident between Floyd and the police were known, thousands more rallied at the street intersection, and organizers emphasized keeping the gathering peaceful.{{cite news|last1=Wagner|first1=Jeff|date=18 June 2020|title='It's Real Ugly': Protesters Clash With Minneapolis Police After George Floyd's Death|work=WCCO-TV|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/26/hundreds-of-protesters-march-in-minneapolis-after-george-floyds-deadly-encounter-with-police/|access-date=18 June 2020|archive-date=May 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527213325/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/26/hundreds-of-protesters-march-in-minneapolis-after-george-floyds-deadly-encounter-with-police/|url-status=live}} Police estimated the size of the crowd at approximately 8,000 people.

Frey and Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo held an afternoon press conference on May 26 to express solidarity with the community's growing sense of anger. Frey called for charges to be filed against the involved officers who killed Floyd, and said, "Whatever the investigation reveals, it does not change the simple truth that he should be with us this morning." Arradondo added, "Being Black in America should not be a death sentence."

In an unprecedented move in Minneapolis for swiftness, Arradondo fired the four officers who had been present at the scene of Floyd's arrest and murder, a move supported by Frey. Protesters and Floyd's family called for murder charges for all four officers involved and swift judicial consequences, as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also opened an investigation of the incident. Bob Kroll, president of the Minneapolis police officer's union, said the firing of the officers occurred without due process and offered "full support of the officers" during the investigations.{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5842687/george-floyd-killed-minneapolis-police/|title=Family and Friends Mourn Minneapolis Police Killing Victim George Floyd|magazine=Time|access-date=May 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528184828/https://time.com/5842687/george-floyd-killed-minneapolis-police/|archive-date=May 28, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=KTSP staff |title='This is the right call': Officers involved in fatal Minneapolis incident fired, mayor says |url=https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/minneapolis-police-george-floyd-death-/5741256/ |access-date=15 June 2020 |publisher=KTSP |date=27 May 2020 |archive-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528191850/https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/minneapolis-police-george-floyd-death-/5741256/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last1=Simon |first1=Alexandra |title=Former Minneapolis chief shares letter from police union president on George Floyd, calls for his badge |url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/minneapolis-police-union-president-officers-in-george-floyd-case-terminated-without-due-process/89-fa7fb13a-d167-472e-bf3c-e2d6259f8f6d |access-date=16 June 2020 |publisher=KARE11 |date=1 June 2020}} Hennepin County Attorney Michael O. Freeman, the official responsible for bringing criminal charges against the police officers, promised an expedited review of the case.

File:George Floyd Protest, Minneapolis (49941489853).jpg

File:Protesters outside the Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct May 26 2020.jpg

The tone of protests, which were peaceful initially, shifted the afternoon of May 26.{{Cite web|last=Wagner|first=Jeff|date=May 27, 2020|title=Protestors Gather Where George Floyd Was Killed, As well as MPD 3rd Precinct|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/27/protesters-gather-where-george-floyd-was-killed-as-well-as-mpd-3rd-precinct-oakdale-home/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528112621/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/27/protesters-gather-where-george-floyd-was-killed-as-well-as-mpd-3rd-precinct-oakdale-home/|archive-date=May 28, 2020|access-date=May 27, 2020|website=WCCO|quote=}} State officials began monitoring the events as protests began to escalate at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-01 |title=State's Response to Civil Unrest Timeline – May 25 - June 7, 2020 |url=https://publicrecordmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WILDER2022_pd_003.pdf |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=PublicRecordMedia.org |archive-date=September 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927163622/https://publicrecordmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WILDER2022_pd_003.pdf |url-status=live }} By evening, the protest rally at the location of Floyd's murder became a {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in|adj=on}}, peaceful march to the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct police station where the four involved officers worked.{{cite news|last1=Caputo|first1=Angela|last2=Craft|first2=Will|last3=Gilbert|first3=Curtis|date=30 June 2020|title='The precinct is on fire': What happened at Minneapolis' 3rd Precinct — and what it means|work=Minnesota Public Radio|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/30/the-precinct-is-on-fire-what-happened-at-minneapolis-3rd-precinct-and-what-it-means|access-date=1 July 2020|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110091618/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/30/the-precinct-is-on-fire-what-happened-at-minneapolis-3rd-precinct-and-what-it-means|url-status=live}} The Minnesota State Patrol began activating its Mobile Field Force, but it staged its officers in the nearby suburb of Richfield as the Minneapolis police declined assistance.

At the Minneapolis police third precinct station on Minnehaha Avenue, protesters rallied peacefully with megaphones and signs on the steps at the building's entrance. The main protest group disbanded later in the evening. A smaller group that broke away from the main protest breached the fence of the station parking lot, climbed on the building, painted graffiti, threw rocks and bottles at officers, broke a window of the building, and broke a window of an unoccupied police car. Some protesters tried to stop the vandalism, with a scuffle breaking out in the crowd.

Recently elected city council member Jeremiah Ellison, who had participated in prior protests against the police after the killing of black men, advised the mayor to not interfere with those vandalizing police property, hoping to spare the surrounding neighborhood from further damage. Police Chief Arradondo eventually ordered forces to respond, and police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to push demonstrators back, even though there were protesters who were not being violent. He later told reporters that he made the decision to fire upon the crowd because some officers kept weapons in their vehicles that could be taken. In response to being fired upon, demonstrators threw rocks, water bottles, and miscellaneous objects towards the officers. The unruly crowd clashing with the police numbered in the hundreds, a noted contrast from the larger, peaceful group gathered earlier in the day, who were estimated to number in the thousands. Many protesters viewed the police response to the vandalism as an overreaction that only made the crowd angrier.

Late at night on May 26, Minnesota State Patrol officers were deployed to the third precinct station building and to the home of Derek Chauvin in Oakdale, Minnesota, where another large crowd had gathered.

File:5-27-2020 (59 of 61) (49944126127).jpgProtests in Minneapolis resumed Wednesday, May 27 at several locations throughout the city. At the location of Floyd's murder, protesters were led through prayer and a series of chants. By late morning, a group of protesters blocked the nearby intersection. Some protesters left memorials by the Cup Foods store, while some spray painted the words "Justice for Floyd" and "Black Lives Matter" on the street surface. No police were present and the scene was described as peaceful.{{cite news|last1=Wagner|first1=Jeff|date=27 May 2020|title='I'm Not Gonna Stand With Nonsense': 2nd Night Of Minneapolis George Floyd Protests Marked By Looting, Tear Gas, Fires|work=WCCO-TV|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/27/protesters-gather-where-george-floyd-was-killed-as-well-as-mpd-3rd-precinct-oakdale-home/|access-date=10 June 2020|archive-date=May 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528112621/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/27/protesters-gather-where-george-floyd-was-killed-as-well-as-mpd-3rd-precinct-oakdale-home/|url-status=live}} A protest occurred outside the Minneapolis home of Hennepin County Attorney Michael O. Freeman.{{Cite news|last=Xiong|first=Chao|date=2021-03-21|title=County Attorney Mike Freeman sold home, took security measures in wake of Floyd killing, protests|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/county-attorney-mike-freeman-sold-home-took-security-measures-in-wake-of-floyd-killing-protests/600040334/|access-date=2021-03-21|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121171635/https://www.startribune.com/county-attorney-mike-freeman-sold-home-took-security-measures-in-wake-of-floyd-killing-protests/600040334/|url-status=live}} Throughout the day state and local officials discussed the possibility of deploying more state patrols and National Guard troops, but anticipated it would not be needed until Saturday, May 30 when larger protests were planned. However, state officials were unsure if Minneapolis city officials had a plan in place to deal with the civil unrest.

{{main|Arson damage during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul}}

File:5-27-2020 (18 of 61) (49943346848).jpgA crowd of about 1,000 people converged outside the Minneapolis third police precinct station at the intersection of East Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue on May 27. By 6:15 p.m., skirmishes had broken out in the crowd as demonstrators had begun throwing objects at the police station and officers fired chemical irritants to push them back. By 6:25 p.m. police received reports of looting as another crowd of people began ransacking a Target store a short distance away from the protest.{{Cite news |last=Peterson |first=Heyley |date=2020-05-28 |title=Minneapolis Target descends into chaos as looters smash windows, destroy shelves, and haul away everything inside amid protests against the death of George Floyd |work=Business Insider |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/minneapolis-target-is-looted-during-george-floyd-protests-videos-2020-5 |access-date=2022-11-01 |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101200258/https://www.businessinsider.com/minneapolis-target-is-looted-during-george-floyd-protests-videos-2020-5 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=2020-05-27 |title=Fires set, businesses looted and 1 man killed as George Floyd protests turn violent in Minneapolis |work=KMSP-TV |url=https://www.fox9.com/news/fires-set-businesses-looted-and-1-man-killed-as-george-floyd-protests-turn-violent-in-minneapolis |access-date=2022-11-02 |archive-date=June 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601144044/https://www.fox9.com/news/fires-set-businesses-looted-and-1-man-killed-as-george-floyd-protests-turn-violent-in-minneapolis/ |url-status=live }} At 6:32 p.m.,{{Cite web |date=2022-02-09 |title=Surveillance video confirms that Saint Paul police officer Jacob Pederson is not 'Umbrella Man' |url=https://www.stpaul.gov/news/surveillance-video-confirms-saint-paul-police-officer-jacob-pederson-not-umbrella-man |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=stpaul.gov |publisher=City of Saint Paul |language=en |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101200259/https://www.stpaul.gov/news/surveillance-video-confirms-saint-paul-police-officer-jacob-pederson-not-umbrella-man |url-status=live }} at an AutoZone store located across the intersection from the third police precinct station, a masked man carrying an umbrella and a sledgehammer was recorded on video breaking windows and spray-painting graffiti which encouraged looting. Some protesters confronted the masked man and asked him to stop.{{cite news|last=Jany|first=Libor|date=28 July 2020|title=Police: 'Umbrella Man' was a white supremacist trying to incite George Floyd rioting|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/police-umbrella-man-was-a-white-supremacist-trying-to-incite-george-floyd-rioting/571932272/|access-date=28 July 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728211405/https://www.startribune.com/police-umbrella-man-was-a-white-supremacist-trying-to-incite-george-floyd-rioting/571932272/|url-status=live}} In a warrant filed after the riots to investigate the mysterious "Umbrella Man", police said he was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood,{{Cite news |last=Treisman |first=Rachel |date=2020-07-28 |title=Minneapolis Police Reportedly Identify Viral 'Umbrella Man' As White Supremacist |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/07/28/896515022/minneapolis-police-reportedly-identify-viral-umbrella-man-as-white-supremacist |access-date=2022-04-19 |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419190923/https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/07/28/896515022/minneapolis-police-reportedly-identify-viral-umbrella-man-as-white-supremacist |url-status=live }} that the abrupt attack at AutoZone came during a mostly calm demonstration at the street intersection of the third police precinct station, and that the man intended to incite violence.

Looting soon spread to several other businesses near the main protest site. Later in the evening on May 27, the same AutoZone store became the first building to be set on fire during the unrest.{{Cite news|last=Peiser|first=Jaclyn|title='Umbrella Man' went viral breaking windows at a protest. He was a white supremacist trying to spark violence, police say.|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/29/umbrella-man-white-supremacist-minneapolis/|access-date=2021-04-08|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414044505/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/29/umbrella-man-white-supremacist-minneapolis/|url-status=live}} Some protesters attempted to put out the AutoZone fire, while others celebrated and took selfies. Another fire was started inside a nearby Cub Foods grocery store. By 9:24 p.m., Minneapolis police had run out of chemical irritants and Minnesota State Patrol officers abandoned attempts to stop the looting.

Violence escalated at nightfall on May 27. At about 9:49 p.m., {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in|abbr=}} from the main protest site near the city's third police precinct building, Calvin Horton Jr., a 43-year-old man from Minneapolis, was fatally shot by the owner of the Cadillac Pawn & Jewelry shop who believed he was burglarizing his business.{{Cite web|title=As Mayor Frey calls for officer's arrest, violence intensifies in Minneapolis|url=https://www.startribune.com/shooting-death-near-minneapolis-protest-george-floyd-calls-for-ex-officer-s-arrest/570804062/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529023809/https://www.startribune.com/shooting-death-near-minneapolis-protest-george-floyd-calls-for-ex-officer-s-arrest/570804062/|archive-date=May 29, 2020|access-date=May 29, 2020|website=Star Tribune|date=May 28, 2020 }}{{cite web|last=Walsh|first=Paul|date=2020-05-29|title=Man shot dead outside Lake Street pawnshop during unrest is identified|url=https://www.startribune.com/man-shot-dead-outside-lake-street-pawnshop-during-unrest-is-identified/570865962/|url-status=live|access-date=2020-05-30|website=Star Tribune|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601152637/https://www.startribune.com/man-shot-dead-outside-lake-street-pawnshop-during-unrest-is-identified/570865962/}} Including Horton, five people were struck by gunfire in Minneapolis that night, but he was the only reported fatality.{{cite news|last1=Faircloth|first1=Ryan|last2=Navratil|first2=Liz|last3=Sawyer|first3=Liz|last4=McKinney|first4=Matt|date=May 28, 2020|title=Looting and flames erupt in Minneapolis amid growing protests over George Floyd's death|newspaper=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-mayor-frey-calls-for-peace-as-looting-flames-erupt-around-police-station/570816112/|url-status=live|access-date=May 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528223117/https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-mayor-frey-calls-for-peace-as-looting-flames-erupt-around-police-station/570816112/|archive-date=May 28, 2020}}{{Cite web |date=2020-12-14 |title=No charges in fatal shooting during George Floyd unrest |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/14/no-charges-in-fatal-shooting-during-george-floyd-unrest |access-date=2020-12-15 |website=MPR News |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217054600/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/14/no-charges-in-fatal-shooting-during-george-floyd-unrest |url-status=live }}

File:Minneapolis Police Third Precinct (51683720667).jpg

Frey made an emotional plea just before midnight on May 27, saying, "Please, please, Minneapolis. We cannot let tragedy beget more tragedy. The activity around Lake and Hiawatha is now unsafe. Please, help us keep the peace. ..."

Frey also reached out to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that night and requested the help of the Minnesota National Guard, but the city government was reportedly unaware of the timeline and logistics of troop deployment, and delegated tactical coordination to the police force. However, knowing that it would take some time for the National Guard to mobilize, Frey and city leaders began discussing ways to deescalate the situation with demonstrators.

Minneapolis City Council member Andrew Johnson, who represented the area by the third police precinct station, blamed the police for the unfolding destruction, arguing they prioritized defense of the third precinct building over business premises.

Council member Jeremiah Ellison said in a media interview that night that the police should "sacrifice" the station, while council member Linea Palmisano expressed privately to a city official about Ellison's remarks that such a move would result in "ultimate chaos".

File:George_Floyd_Protests,_Minneapolis,_MN.jpgLooting and property destruction were widespread in Minneapolis overnight from May 27 to May 28, with the heaviest destruction occurring in the vicinity of the third precinct police station near Minnehaha Avenue and East Lake Street. Looting, which first began at a Target store in the Minnehaha Center shopping district, spread to a nearby Cub Foods grocery store, and then to several liquor stores, pharmacies, and other businesses across the city.{{Cite news|last1=Navratil|first1=Liz|last2=Jany|first2=Libor|date=2020-05-28|title=As Mayor Frey calls for officer's arrest, violence intensifies in Minneapolis|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/as-mayor-frey-calls-for-officer-s-arrest-violence-intensifies-in-minneapolis/570804062/|access-date=2021-05-16|archive-date=May 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516063510/https://www.startribune.com/as-mayor-frey-calls-for-officer-s-arrest-violence-intensifies-in-minneapolis/570804062/|url-status=live}} The fire at the AutoZone store that was damaged earlier in the evening led to a series of other acts of arson. Among the losses to fire was Midtown Corner, an under-construction, $30 million redevelopment project for 189 units of affordable housing, which was destroyed by fire. Across the street from the apartment building, the manufacturing facility for 7-Sigma, a local high-tech company, also suffered extensive fire damage and part of the factory building collapsed.{{Cite news|last=Buchta|first=Jim|date=2020-05-28|title=Minneapolis vandalism targets include 189-unit affordable housing development|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-vandalism-targets-include-189-unit-affordable-housing-development/570836742/|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=November 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105002100/https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-vandalism-targets-include-189-unit-affordable-housing-development/570836742/|url-status=live}} The response from firefighters in the area was delayed as crews required police escorts for protection from rioters. The Minneapolis fire department responded to approximately 30 fires overnight.

Overnight in the suburban City of Brooklyn Center, looters broke into several stores at the Shingle Creek Crossing shopping center. At about 1:00 am on May 28, a local police contingent amassed in the area to scatter vehicles that were circling the area, and police officers made three arrests.{{Cite news |last=Bork |first=Corey |date=2020-05-28 |title=Floyd Death Fallout: Brooklyn Center PD Responds to Burglaries at Shingle Creek Crossing |work=CCX Media |url=https://ccxmedia.org/news/floyd-death-fallout-brooklyn-center-pd-responds-to-burglaries-at-shingle-creek-crossing/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201205155/https://ccxmedia.org/news/floyd-death-fallout-brooklyn-center-pd-responds-to-burglaries-at-shingle-creek-crossing/ |url-status=live }}

File:A man stands on a burned out car on Thursday morning as fires burn behind him in the Lake St area of Minneapolis, Minnesota (49945886467).jpg

At a press conference on May 28, Chief Arradondo remarked that, in his view, the majority of protests the previous day were peaceful, but were "hijacked" by some who were looting and vandalizing businesses.{{cite news|last1=Bailey|first1=Holly|last2=Shammas|first2=Brittany|last3=Bellware|first3=Kim|date=28 May 2020|title=Chaotic scene in Minneapolis after second night of protests over death of George Floyd|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/27/george-floyd-minneapolis-reaction/|access-date=15 June 2020|archive-date=May 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527164407/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/27/george-floyd-minneapolis-reaction/|url-status=live}} Minneapolis city officials hoped that the worst violence had already passed. Observing the events from near Washington, D.C., United States General Joseph L. Lengyel warned other high-ranking Pentagon officials that the situation in Minneapolis could escalate out of control and that the Minnesota National Guard and 200 military police officers should be ready and armed to intervene.{{Cite news |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=2023-04-29 |title='No joy': Pentagon emails show National Guard preparing for mission hours before Third Precinct burned |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/pentagon-emails-national-guard-was-standing-by-in-minneapolis-hours-before-third-precinct-burned/600271189/ |access-date=2023-07-07}} Officials speculated that as many as 75,000 protesters could converge in the city by the weekend.

To quell riotous behavior, Mayor Frey declared a state of emergency to allow for more flexibility in the city's response.{{cite news |last1=KTSP staff |title=Over 500 National Guard soldiers activated to amid protests regarding George Floyd's death; Frey declares state of emergency in Minneapolis |url=https://kstp.com/news/minnesota-national-guard-activated-to-control-protests-following-george-floyds-death/5743967/ |publisher=KTSP |date=28 May 2020 |access-date=June 16, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603071519/https://kstp.com/news/minnesota-national-guard-activated-to-control-protests-following-george-floyds-death/5743967/ |url-status=dead }} Frey and Arradondo also began quietly preparing for the contingency of surrendering the third precinct station in Minneapolis if violence escalated. Few people knew of the plan outside of some officers stationed there and nearby business owners who had heard rumors and noticed the station's parking lot being emptied of police squad cars and equipment.

Businesses throughout the Twin Cities spent the day boarding up windows and doors to prevent looting. Among them, the Target Corporation announced closures for all of its area stores. Saint Paul police officers armed with batons and gas masks patrolled the city's busiest commercial corridor and kept looters out of a Target store near University Avenue while other business windows were smashed. Minneapolis preemptively shut down its light-rail system and bus service through Sunday, May 31 out of safety concerns. Officials pleaded with metro area residents to stay home Thursday night to prevent further property destruction. African American Saint Paul mayor Melvin Carter said, "Please stay home. Please do not come here to protest. Please keep the focus on George Floyd, on advancing our movement and on preventing this from ever happening again."{{cite web|last1=Sullivan|first1=Tim|last2=Forliti|first2=Amy|date=May 28, 2020|title=Minneapolis police precinct on fire as protests grow|url=https://www.kcra.com/article/minneapolis-police-precinct-on-fire-as-protests-grow/32706050|url-status=live|access-date=May 29, 2020|website=KCRA-TV|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601144052/https://www.kcra.com/article/minneapolis-police-precinct-on-fire-as-protests-grow/32706050}}

At 4 p.m. CDT, Governor Walz formally activated 500 National Guard troops and deployed them to the Twin Cities area, at Frey's request. Walz commented, "George Floyd's death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction." Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan added, "the demonstration last night became incredibly unsafe for all involved. The purpose of the National Guard is to protect people, to protect people safely demonstrating, and to protect small business owners."{{cite web|title=Minnesota Calls National Guard to Quell Violent Protests in Minneapolis|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_minnesota-calls-national-guard-quell-violent-protests-minneapolis/6190100.html|website=VOA|access-date=May 29, 2020|date=May 29, 2020|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601144046/https://www.voanews.com/usa/minnesota-calls-national-guard-quell-violent-protests-minneapolis/|url-status=live}} Walz also said it would take guard troops a few days to fully mobilize.

File:2020_Minneapolis_Unrest_(49952677233).jpg

State and federal prosecutors called a press conference in the late afternoon at a regional FBI office in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. It was anticipated that there they might reveal a major development in the case against the officers who were at the scene of Floyd's murder.{{Cite news|last=Lyden|first=Tom|date=2020-06-09|title=Ex-Minneapolis police officer Chauvin was in talks to plead guilty before arrest|work=KMSP-TV|url=https://www.fox9.com/news/ex-minneapolis-police-officer-chauvin-was-in-talks-to-plead-guilty-before-arrest|access-date=2020-05-15|archive-date=June 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610140828/https://www.fox9.com/news/ex-minneapolis-police-officer-chauvin-was-in-talks-to-plead-guilty-before-arrest|url-status=live}} After a long delay, however, Hennepin County Attorney Michael O. Freeman announced that his office needed more time to investigate and that there was other evidence that might result in no criminal charges being filed.{{Cite news|last=Xiong|first=Chao|date=2021-03-31|title=County Attorney Mike Freeman sold home, took security measures in wake of Floyd killing, protests|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/county-attorney-mike-freeman-sold-home-took-security-measures-in-wake-of-floyd-killing-protests/600040334/|access-date=2021-03-31|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121171635/https://www.startribune.com/county-attorney-mike-freeman-sold-home-took-security-measures-in-wake-of-floyd-killing-protests/600040334/|url-status=live}} In responding to the anticipation created by the media briefing and its two-hour delayed start, U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald said, "I thought we would have another development to talk to you about, but we don't".

Weeks later, on June 9, 2020, it was revealed that state and federal prosecutors — on the afternoon of the delayed press conference — had been trying to negotiate a plea deal with former officer Derek Chauvin that would have included state murder charges and federal civil rights charges. It was later reported that Chauvin believed that the case against him was so devastating that he agreed to plead guilty to third-degree murder. As part of the deal, he was willing to go to prison for more than 10 years. The deal fell apart shortly before it was going to be announced after William Barr, the U.S. Attorney General, rejected the arrangement fearing that it would be viewed as too lenient by protesters. The deal was contingent on the federal government's approval because Chauvin, who had asked to serve his time in a federal prison, wanted assurance he would not face federal civil rights charges. Details about the potential plea agreement were not publicly known during the initial period of unrest.{{Cite news|last=Arango|first=Tim|date=2021-02-10|title=The Killing of George Floyd Tore Minneapolis Apart. Now Comes the Trial.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/us/george-floyd-death.html|access-date=2021-02-11|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210235055/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/us/george-floyd-death.html|url-status=live}}

File:GM_Tobacco_burning_28_May_2020.jpg

The number of protests overwhelmed the law enforcement response. Thousands of people marched peacefully in the streets of Minneapolis and called for justice for George Floyd during the day on May 28. Sporadic looting was reported in the afternoon in Saint Paul's Midway neighborhood. A crowd of about 1,000 people rallied in the early evening at the Hennepin County Government Center building in Minneapolis, and then marched through the city's downtown area where store fronts had been boarded up and the state patrol maintained a heavy presence; no violence was reported from the march.

Hundreds of demonstrators returned to the area near the third precinct police station, where Frey and Arradondo had reduced the street presence of the police.{{cite web|author=|date=May 28, 2020|title=Tensions reignite near Minneapolis' 3rd Precinct|url=https://www.fox9.com/news/tensions-reignite-near-minneapolis-3rd-precinct|url-status=live|access-date=May 29, 2020|website=Fox 9 KMSP|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601144051/https://www.fox9.com/news/rioters-set-minneapolis-police-precinct-on-fire-as-protests-reignite-over-george-floyds-death/}} By the evening, police reports said the crowd was "engaged in peaceful activity" as some were cooking food, listening to music, and socializing. It was not until after sunset that the crowd grew more restless, when looting resumed and a vehicle and building were set on fire.

Multiple large, mobile crowds and chaos were reported across the city by nightfall. A crowd of 1,500 protesters were marching through a downtown shopping district in Minneapolis where there were 400 state troopers present. The tension escalated when another large crowd advanced on the city's first police precinct station near Hennepin Avenue and 5th Street. A Minneapolis police officer that drove near the crowd rolled down her window and indiscriminately fired Mace at protesters, bystanders, and journalists; the incident was caught on a viral video.{{Cite tweet|number=1266186985041022976|user=stribrooks|title=Well THAT was uncalled for.|author=Jennifer Brooks|date=May 28, 2020|access-date=2022-12-29}}{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2022-12-07 |title=The Minneapolis police officer who maced protesters and bystanders is unmasked by court documents |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/07/the-minneapolis-police-officer-who-maced-protesters-and-bystanders-is-unmasked-by-court-documents/ |access-date=2022-12-18 |archive-date=December 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218185205/https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/07/the-minneapolis-police-officer-who-maced-protesters-and-bystanders-is-unmasked-by-court-documents/ |url-status=live }} Later, demonstrators downtown shot off fireworks and stood off against a line of Minneapolis police officers who fired tear gas.

Protesters marched on the Interstate 35W highway. Smaller crowds gathered elsewhere. "We were defending an entire city with 600 officers against thousands and thousands of protesters," Frey later said of the events.Lyden, Tom (19 July 2020). [https://www.fox9.com/news/fall-of-the-third-precinct-a-minute-by-minute-account "Fall of the Third Precinct: A minute-by-minute account"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721011440/https://www.fox9.com/news/fall-of-the-third-precinct-a-minute-by-minute-account |date=July 21, 2020 }}. KMSP-TV. Retrieved on 20 July 2020.

File:Boogaloo movement adherents in Minneapolis May 2020.png adherents in Minneapolis, May 28, 2020]]As the riots unfolded, adherents of the Boogaloo movement, a far-right extremist movement, began discussions online about how to exploit the events to start a second American Civil War that would be blamed on Black Lives Matter. Michael Robert Solomon of New Brighton, a Minneapolis suburb, recruited at least five Boogaloo adherents to join him in Minnesota, including Ivan Harrison Hunter of Boerne, Texas, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter of Hampstead, North Carolina. The group made plans to meet in Minneapolis at 6:00 p.m. on May 28 at the Cub Food grocery store on 26th Avenue South off East Lake Street, near the epicenter of heavy rioting and looting. During the riots, the Boogaloo members were seen driving around Minneapolis, carrying firearms, and openly discussing a willingness to commit violent acts against police officers.{{Cite news |last=Sepic |first=Matt |date=2021-09-30 |title=Texas man, 24, admits shooting at Minneapolis police station during riot |work=Minnesota Public Radio |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/09/30/texas-man-24-admits-shooting-at-minneapolis-police-station-during-riot |access-date=2022-10-27 |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027144331/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/09/30/texas-man-24-admits-shooting-at-minneapolis-police-station-during-riot |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Forliti |first=Amy |date=2020-09-04 |title=Alleged Boogaloo members face terrorism charges in Minnesota |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/1c6bd2d39c9b44cb5aa5c77d887e4686 |access-date=2022-10-27 |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027163022/https://apnews.com/article/1c6bd2d39c9b44cb5aa5c77d887e4686 |url-status=live }}United States District Court (October 19, 2020). "[https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/press-release/file/1330776/download United States v. Ivan Harrison Hunter: Criminal complaint (case number 20-MJ-758-HB)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112172610/https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/press-release/file/1330776/download |date=November 12, 2022 }}". Retrieved October 27, 2022.Wilberg, Thomas E. (September 3, 2020). “[https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Solomon%20Teeter%20Affidavit%20%26%20Criminal%20Complaint.pdf Affidavit in Support of an Application for a Criminal Complaint: United States v. Michael Robert Solomon and Benjamin Ryan Teeter (AO 442; 2020R00270)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118110343/https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Solomon%20Teeter%20Affidavit%20%26%20Criminal%20Complaint.pdf |date=January 18, 2022 }}”. Pages 6-7. Retrieved October 23, 2022. Archived from the original.United States Department of Justice (June 1, 2022). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20220805235547/http://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/second-boogaloo-bois-member-sentenced-prison-conspiring-provide-material-support-hamas Second 'Boogaloo Bois Member Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Hamas]". Retrieved June 1, 2022. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220805235547/http://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/second-boogaloo-bois-member-sentenced-prison-conspiring-provide-material-support-hamas Archived] from the original

File:20200528-_DSC8186_(49947744561).jpg

File:20200528- DSC8091 (49948044882).jpg

Late at night on May 28, the focus of demonstrators shifted to the Minneapolis third precinct police station building at the intersection of East Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue. Some protesters threw objects at the officers guarding the building, who responded by firing rubber bullets in the crowd. Demonstrators began tearing down fencing that surrounded the precinct station and police responded with tear gas. As tensions in the area mounted, Frey gave the order to evacuate the station, a tactic he later said was to deescalate the situation and prevent further loss of life.

Officers retreating from the building loaded into squad vehicles and had to smash through a parking lot gate to escape, as it had been padlocked at some point by protesters. Demonstrators then moved in and threw bottles and debris at the fleeing officers who eventually made their way to a rendezvous site three blocks away. Demonstrators tore away fencing intended to stop trespassers from entering the building.{{Cite news|last=Read|first=Katy|date=2021-01-23|title=Two more plead guilty to helping burn Minneapolis Third Precinct headquarters|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/two-more-plead-guilty-to-helping-burn-minneapolis-third-precinct-headquarters/600014238/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-23|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123182341/https://www.startribune.com/two-more-plead-guilty-to-helping-burn-minneapolis-third-precinct-headquarters/600014238/}}

Bryce Williams of StaplesWiese, Charlie (17 June 2020). [https://kstp.com/news/staples-man-charged-with-arson-in-minneapolis-third-police-precinct-fire/5763126/ "Staples man charged with arson in Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct fire"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928230619/https://kstp.com/news/staples-man-charged-with-arson-in-minneapolis-third-police-precinct-fire/5763126/ |date=September 28, 2020 }}. KSTP. Retrieved on 22 August 2020. and Davon Turner{{Cite news |last=Pross |first=Katrina |date=2021-01-22 |title=Two men plead guilty to arson at Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct building |work=Pioneer Press |url=https://www.twincities.com/2021/01/22/two-men-plead-guilty-to-mpd-third-precinct-arson-during-may-unrest/ |access-date=2021-01-22 |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123021141/https://www.twincities.com/2021/01/22/two-men-plead-guilty-to-mpd-third-precinct-arson-during-may-unrest/ |url-status=live }} of Saint Paul worked together to light a Molotov cocktail, and then Turner took it into the building. Dylan Robinson of Brainerd then helped light a second Molotov cocktail. Branden WolfChanen, David (9 June 2020) [https://www.startribune.com/man-charged-with-arson-of-mpls-third-precinct-station/571115042/ "Man charged with arson of Minneapolis Third Precinct station"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806224929/https://www.startribune.com/man-charged-with-arson-of-mpls-third-precinct-station/571115042/ |date=August 6, 2020 }}. Star Tribune. Retrieved on 22 August 2020. of Saint Paul pushed materials into a fire at the building's entrance, intending to accelerate the flames.{{Cite news|last=Pross|first=Katrina|date=2021-01-22|title=Two men plead guilty to arson at Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct building|work=Pioneer Press|url=https://www.twincities.com/2021/01/22/two-men-plead-guilty-to-mpd-third-precinct-arson-during-may-unrest/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-22|archive-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123021141/https://www.twincities.com/2021/01/22/two-men-plead-guilty-to-mpd-third-precinct-arson-during-may-unrest/}} One of the Boogaloo adherents who had converged in Minneapolis, Ivan Hunter of Texas, participated in the chaos. Hunter shot 13 rounds at the building using an AK-47-style gun and entered the building to loot and help set it on fire. Two hours later, Hunter sent a text message to Steven Carrillo, the perpetrator of the 2020 boogaloo murders, and encouraged him to, “Go for police buildings”.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio/san-antonio-area-boogaloo-bois-follower-admits-to-firing-shots-at-police-station-during-riot/Content?oid=27257236|title=San Antonio-area Boogaloo Bois follower admits to firing shots at police station during riot|access-date=October 24, 2021|date=October 2, 2021|work=San Antonio Current|author=Sanford Nowlin|archive-date=October 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026045512/https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio/san-antonio-area-boogaloo-bois-follower-admits-to-firing-shots-at-police-station-during-riot/Content?oid=27257236|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/texas-boogaloo-boy-admits-court-123000681.html|title=Texas Boogaloo Boy Admits In Court He Traveled to Minneapolis After George Floyd Died, Fired 13 Shots In Police Precinct Building to Sow Chaos|access-date=October 24, 2021|date=October 11, 2021|work=Yahoo News|author=Niara Savage|archive-date=October 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017030719/https://news.yahoo.com/texas-boogaloo-boy-admits-court-123000681.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=2020-10-24 |title=Texas member of Boogaloo Bois charged with opening fire on Minneapolis police precinct during protests over George Floyd |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/charges-boogaloo-bois-fired-on-mpls-precinct-shouted-justice-for-floyd/572843802/ |access-date=2022-10-27 |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023170203/https://www.startribune.com/charges-boogaloo-bois-fired-on-mpls-precinct-shouted-justice-for-floyd/572843802/ |url-status=live }} Many others illegally entered the building.{{Cite news |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=2021-06-19 |title=How will Third Precinct arsonists pay $12 million restitution? They probably won't |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/how-will-third-precinct-arsonists-pay-12-million-restitution-they-probably-won-t/600070076/ |access-date=2021-06-19 |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027170251/https://www.startribune.com/how-will-third-precinct-arsonists-pay-12-million-restitution-they-probably-won-t/600070076/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=2021-06-07 |title=College basketball player, TikTok influencer sentenced to federal prison for burning down Third Precinct |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/college-basketball-player-tiktok-influencer-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-burning-down-third-preci/600065608/ |access-date=2021-06-07 |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608015422/https://www.startribune.com/college-basketball-player-tiktok-influencer-sentenced-to-federal-prison-for-burning-down-third-preci/600065608/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2021-09-30 |title=Self-Described Member of "Boogaloo Bois" Pleads Guilty to Riot |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/self-described-member-boogaloo-bois-pleads-guilty-riot |access-date=2021-10-01 |website=United States Department of Justice |language=en |archive-date=September 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930224203/https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/self-described-member-boogaloo-bois-pleads-guilty-riot |url-status=live }}

Surrounded by a crowd of about 1,000 people, the station burned until the early morning hours of May 29 when firefighting crews reached the area and eventually extinguished fires. The several-hundred-member contingent of state patrol and National Guard troops on the ground in Minneapolis that night primarily escorted fire trucks and protected a Federal Reserve building and areas of downtown Minneapolis. Walz later remarked that the city had not given directions specifying where to deploy troops as the violence escalated on East Lake Street. State officials also remarked that the city's decision to abandon the precinct station was a misjudgment, allowing demonstrators to create a situation of "absolute chaos", in the words of Walz.{{Cite news|date=2020-05-29|title='Absolute Chaos' in Minneapolis as Protests Grow Across U.S.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/us/floyd-protests-usa.html|access-date=2022-01-05|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530132022/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/us/floyd-protests-usa.html|url-status=live}}

The burning of the police station was one of the vividest images of the unrest spreading across the nation. Several days later, a Monmouth University Polling Institute poll found that 54 percent of Americans thought that the burning of the precinct building was justified.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/54-americans-think-burning-down-minneapolis-police-precinct-was-justified-after-george-floyds-1508452|title=54 Percent of Americans Think Burning Down Minneapolis Police Precinct Was Justified After George Floyd's Death|date=June 3, 2020|accessdate=June 4, 2020|work=Newsweek|first=Matthew|last=Impelli|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604082408/https://www.newsweek.com/54-americans-think-burning-down-minneapolis-police-precinct-was-justified-after-george-floyds-1508452|url-status=live}}

As the intensity of demonstrations increased the night of May 28, dozens of businesses were looted and set on fire on East Lake Street in Minneapolis near the city's third police precinct station. Looters broke into the Minnehaha Lake Wine & Spirits liquor store across the street from the police station, passed out bottles to the crowd, and then set the store on fire. Looters broke into the nearby Max It Pawn store on East Lake Street. Montez Terriel Lee Jr. of Rochester, Minnesota, poured liquid accelerant around the shop and lit it on fire.{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=2022-01-18 |title=Judge goes below guidelines, gives 10-year term to man who set deadly Lake St. fire during unrest |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/10-years-in-federal-prison-leniency-for-man-who-set-deadly-pawnshop-fire-during-unrest/600136780/ |access-date=2022-01-18 |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031135018/https://www.startribune.com/10-years-in-federal-prison-leniency-for-man-who-set-deadly-pawnshop-fire-during-unrest/600136780/ |url-status=live }} Bystanders discovered that a person—later revealed as Oscar Lee Stewart Jr. of Burnsville, Minnesota{{Cite web |date=2020-10-20 |title=Medical examiner identifies body found in burned pawn shop in Minneapolis |url=https://kstp.com/news/hennepin-county-medical-examiner-identifies-body-found-in-burned-pawn-shop-in-minneapolis/5900493/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2020-10-20 |website=KSTP |language=en |archive-date=October 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023083736/https://kstp.com/news/hennepin-county-medical-examiner-identifies-body-found-in-burned-pawn-shop-in-minneapolis/5900493/ }}—was trapped inside the building, but were unable to help guide him out after frantically removing some plywood from windows and shining flashlights inside. Fire crews that arrived later found the building too unstable for a rescue operation into the structure.Roper, Eric (22 July 2020). [https://www.startribune.com/there-s-somebody-in-there-bystanders-scrambled-to-rescue-person-in-pawn-shop/571864701/ "'There's somebody in there!' Bystanders scrambled to rescue person in pawn shop"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722192755/https://www.startribune.com/there-s-somebody-in-there-bystanders-scrambled-to-rescue-person-in-pawn-shop/571864701/ |date=July 22, 2020 }}. Star Tribune. Retrieved on 22 July 2020. Stewart became the second person to die during the riots as he succumbed to inhalation and burn injuries.{{Cite web |last=Sawyer |first=Liz |date=2020-11-14 |title=For family of man killed in pawnshop fire during George Floyd unrest, grief wrapped in a mystery |url=https://www.startribune.com/for-family-of-man-killed-in-pawnshop-fire-during-george-floyd-unrest-grief-wrapped-in-a-mystery/573079501/ |access-date=2020-12-15 |website=Star Tribune |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130084437/https://www.startribune.com/for-family-of-man-killed-in-pawnshop-fire-during-george-floyd-unrest-grief-wrapped-in-a-mystery/573079501/ |url-status=live }} His remains were left in a pile of rubble and were not recovered until nearly two months later.{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=2021-07-27 |title=Rochester man admits setting pawnshop ablaze during Minneapolis riots |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/rochester-man-admits-setting-pawnshop-ablaze-during-minneapolis-riots/600081957/ |access-date=2021-07-27 |archive-date=July 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727181359/https://www.startribune.com/rochester-man-admits-setting-pawnshop-ablaze-during-minneapolis-riots/600081957/ |url-status=live }} Lee was convicted of arson in federal court in 2022 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.{{cite web |title=District of Minnesota {{!}} Rochester Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Arson of Minneapolis Pawn Shop that Resulted in the Death of a Man {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/rochester-man-sentenced-10-years-prison-arson-minneapolis-pawn-shop-resulted-death-man |website=www.justice.gov |publisher=U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota |language=en |date=14 January 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Skluzacek |first1=Josh |title=Rochester man sentenced to decade in prison for deadly pawn shop arson |url=https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/rochester-man-sentenced-to-decade-in-prison-for-deadly-pawn-shop-arson/ |work=KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News |date=14 January 2022}}

File:Protesters break windows in businesses in a building in the Midway area of St Paul, Minnesota (49946249558).jpg cellphone store on Hamline Avenue North in Saint Paul, May 28, 2020]]

In Saint Paul, which had been spared from widespread property destruction on the prior night, 170 businesses were damaged or looted and dozens of fires were started on May 28. The largest fires burned at a liquor store and other shops near Allianz Field soccer stadium at Snelling and University avenues; no major injuries were reported in those fires.{{cite web|date=May 29, 2020|title=George Floyd Riots: Violence Spans Twin Cities: 3rd Precinct Overtaken & Burned, Looting Continues, Businesses Torched|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/29/protesters-take-minneapolis-police-3rd-precinct-building-during-3rd-night-of-george-floyd-protests/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529092856/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/29/protesters-take-minneapolis-police-3rd-precinct-building-during-3rd-night-of-george-floyd-protests/|archive-date=May 29, 2020|access-date=May 29, 2020|website=WCCO-TV}} Lloyd's Pharmacy on Snelling Avenue, which had a presence in the area since 1918, was looted over several hours and then set on fire, which burnt the building to the ground.{{Cite news|last=Kian|first=Ava|date=2021-07-31|title=More than a year after looting, arson, St. Paul's Midway celebrates return of Lloyd's Pharmacy|work=St. Paul Pioneer Press|url=https://www.twincities.com/2021/07/31/lloyds-pharmacy-st-paul-reopen-midway-looting-arson/|access-date=2021-07-31|archive-date=August 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803131510/https://www.twincities.com/2021/07/31/lloyds-pharmacy-st-paul-reopen-midway-looting-arson/|url-status=live}} Two shopping centers in Saint Paul near University Avenue, the Sun Ray Shopping Center and Midway Shopping Center, were extensively looted. At the Midway Shopping Center, rioters torched the Foot Locker store, and fires spread to the adjacent GameStop and Great Clips stores.{{Cite news|last=Jackson|first=Zoë|date=2021-06-17|title=Former Midway Shopping Center tenants file suit against property owners|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/former-midway-shopping-center-tenants-file-suit-against-property-owners/600069429/|access-date=2021-06-17|archive-date=August 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803131509/https://www.startribune.com/former-midway-shopping-center-tenants-file-suit-against-property-owners/600069429/|url-status=live}} Rioters also set a fire inside Gordon Parks High School and set fire to a Goodwill and several other storefronts in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood.{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=2023-01-03 |title=Probation for woman who was with husband as he set fire to St. Paul high school, 2 stores during rioting |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/probation-for-woman-who-was-with-husband-as-he-set-fire-to-st-paul-school-2-stores-during-rioting/600240440/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104155631/https://www.startribune.com/probation-for-woman-who-was-with-husband-as-he-set-fire-to-st-paul-school-2-stores-during-rioting/600240440/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Griswold |first=David |date=2020-06-30 |title=Two charged in separate arson incidents in St. Paul |work=KARE-TV |url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/two-charged-in-separate-arson-incidents-in-st-paul/89-0caabc30-e1b3-4ac6-97b2-b1dba9f29dae |access-date=2021-06-16}} Several of those who were setting fires in Saint Paul that day had were residents of suburban cities or other cities outside the metropolitan area who travelled into the city to participate in the unrest.{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=2021-07-21 |title=Brooklyn Park man admits setting St. Paul store on fire during rioting after George Floyd's death |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/brooklyn-park-man-admits-setting-st-paul-store-on-fire-during-rioting-after-george-floyd-s-death/600079956/ |access-date=2021-07-21 |archive-date=January 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104161319/https://www.startribune.com/brooklyn-park-man-admits-setting-st-paul-store-on-fire-during-rioting-after-george-floyd-s-death/600079956/ |url-status=live }}

By nightfall on May 28, looting and property destruction had reached several suburban communities in the Twin Cities. Near Saint Paul, the Rosedale Center shopping mall in Roseville was looted. In Blaine, several people broke into the Northtown Mall, but police responded to the scene and secured the facility. In Maple Grove, looters broke into several stores at the Arbor Lakes shopping center; police that responded to burglary reports made several arrests. Businesses in the northern suburban cities of Brooklyn Center, Crystal, Plymouth, and Robbinsdale also reported burglaries and property damage such as smashed doors or windows.{{Cite news |last=Goins |first=Sonya |date=2020-05-29 |title=Vandals Strike Businesses Across Northwest Suburbs, Security Ramps Up |work=CCX Media |url=https://ccxmedia.org/news/vandals-strike-businesses-across-northwest-suburbs-security-ramps-up/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201205156/https://ccxmedia.org/news/vandals-strike-businesses-across-northwest-suburbs-security-ramps-up/ |url-status=live }}

Just before midnight local time on May 28, President Donald Trump posted a controversial statement on Twitter in reaction to the events in Minneapolis. He said, "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!"{{Cite news|last=Sprunt|first=Barbara|date=2020-05-29|title=The History Behind 'When The Looting Starts, The Shooting Starts'|work=National Public Radio|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/864818368/the-history-behind-when-the-looting-starts-the-shooting-starts|access-date=2020-05-29|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530035357/https://www.npr.org/2020/05/29/864818368/the-history-behind-when-the-looting-starts-the-shooting-starts|url-status=live}} By 2:30 a.m. CDT, Twitter had flagged Trump's tweet for glorifying violence, which its guidelines prohibited.File:20200528- DSC7924 (49947268928).jpg store and adjacent businesses on University Avenue in Saint Paul, May 28, 2020]]

In a follow-up to an earlier statement on Twitter, Trump said just after midnight local time on May 29, "I can't stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right….."

Frey addressed the media at 1:30 a.m. CDT as the city was battling multiple fires and violence. He acknowledged the anger in the community over Floyd's murder, but condemned the actions of rioters and looters. In defense of his decision to have police withdraw from the third precinct station to deescalate tension, he said, "Brick and mortar is not as important as life".{{Cite news|date=2020-05-29|title=Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Addresses City In The Middle Of Night Of Violence|work=WCCO-TV|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/29/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-addresses-city-in-the-middle-of-night-of-violence/|access-date=2020-05-30|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530170027/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/29/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-addresses-city-in-the-middle-of-night-of-violence/|url-status=live}} He also reacted to Trump's tweets and criticized the president for stoking tension and casting blame on officials during an active crisis event.

In the suburban City of Apple Valley during the early morning hours of May 29, Minnesota residents Fornandous Cortez Henderson of Savage and Garrett Ziegler of Long Lake attacked the Dakota County Western Service Center—a local government building that contained a U.S. passport office, court rooms, and other official services.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-02 |title=Two Individuals Charged With Throwing Molotov Cocktails Into Dakota County Government Building |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-individuals-charged-throwing-molotov-cocktails-dakota-county-government-building |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=United States Department of Justice |language=en |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116141914/https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/two-individuals-charged-throwing-molotov-cocktails-dakota-county-government-building |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Schuster |first=Christine |date=2020-06-03 |title=Feds accuse Savage man of throwing Molotov cocktails into Dakota County center |work=Southwest News Media |url=https://www.swnewsmedia.com/savage_pacer/news/public_safety/feds-accuse-savage-man-of-throwing-molotov-cocktails-into-dakota-county-center/article_36c83c38-ca2e-5911-b28e-412ba5ca91ae.html |access-date=2022-11-20 |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116141848/https://www.swnewsmedia.com/savage_pacer/news/public_safety/feds-accuse-savage-man-of-throwing-molotov-cocktails-into-dakota-county-center/article_36c83c38-ca2e-5911-b28e-412ba5ca91ae.html |url-status=live }} Henderson had targeted the building as revenge for the appearances he made before a court located inside it and because he was angry with law enforcement for Floyd's death. The two men broke several windows with baseball bats and threw Molotov cocktails inside. Some of the incendiary devices ignited and caused fire and smoke damage. The men also poured flammable liquids around the building and attempted to start other fires. Law enforcement that responded to a building alarm arrested Ziegler and Henderson as they fled on foot.{{Cite news |author= |date=2021-02-11 |title=Suburban Minneapolis man sentenced to 5 years for firebombing Dakota County courthouse |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |url=https://www.twincities.com/2021/02/11/suburban-minneapolis-man-sentenced-to-5-years-for-firebombing-dakota-county-courthouse/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-02-12 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212185104/https://www.twincities.com/2021/02/11/suburban-minneapolis-man-sentenced-to-5-years-for-firebombing-dakota-county-courthouse/ }}[https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/press-release/file/1282431/download "Arrest Warrant: United States of America v. (1) Garrett Patrick Ziegler (2) Fornandous Cortez Henderson (Case No. 20-mj-343 BRT)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015162934/https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/press-release/file/1282431/download |date=October 15, 2022 }}". June 1, 2020. United States District Court for the State of Minnesota. Retrieved November 20, 2022.{{Cite news |last=Chanen |first=David |date=2020-12-06 |title=Arsonist sentenced to six years for fire, damage at Dakota County government building |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/arsonist-sentenced-to-six-years-for-fire-damage-at-dakota-county-government-building/573351591/ |access-date=2020-11-20 |archive-date=December 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210011536/https://www.startribune.com/arsonist-sentenced-to-six-years-for-fire-damage-at-dakota-county-government-building/573351591/ |url-status=live }}

File:Minnesota State Patrol stand at E Lake St and 29th Ave S in Minneapolis, Minnesota (49949772286).jpg officers on East Lake Street in Minneapolis, May 29, 2020]]At daybreak on May 29, National Guard troops and Minnesota State Patrol officers began clearing people out of the area of the third police precinct station near East Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis. At about 6:00 a.m., patrol officers arrested CNN reporter Omar Jimenez and his camera crew as they were filming a live news report on television. After intervention from Walz, the crew was released an hour later.{{Cite web|last=Rowland|first=Geoffrey|date=May 29, 2020|title=Minnesota governor 'deeply apologizes' to CNN president after network crew arrested|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/500080-minnesota-governor-deeply-apologizes-to-cnn-president-after-network-crew|access-date=May 29, 2020|website=The Hill|language=en|archive-date=May 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531015057/https://thehill.com/homenews/media/500080-minnesota-governor-deeply-apologizes-to-cnn-president-after-network-crew|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Yglesias|first=Matthew|date=May 29, 2020|title=CNN reporter Omar Jimenez arrested live on the air in Minneapolis|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/5/29/21274377/omar-jimenez-arrest-minneapolis|access-date=May 29, 2020|website=Vox|language=en|archive-date=May 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200529191104/https://www.vox.com/2020/5/29/21274377/omar-jimenez-arrest-minneapolis|url-status=live}}

Later in the morning, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, General Mark Milley, and Attorney General Bill Barr privately discouraged Trump from invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy military troops to Minneapolis.

The same day, Major-General Jon Jensen, the highest-ranking official in the Minnesota National Guard, expressed concern at local city leaders due to a lack of clarity and direction regarding the National Guard's mission after being called upon in response to the unrest. In the afternoon, Governor Walz imposed a state curfew for the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul that would run from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30. The order prohibited travel in streets or gathering at public places. Frey also issued an overlapping local curfew in Minneapolis.{{cite web|url=https://kttc.com/2020/05/29/minneapolis-mayor-imposes-curfew-for-friday-saturday/|title=Curfew to go into effect for Minneapolis-St. Paul starting at 8 p.m. on Friday|date=May 29, 2020|website=KTTC|access-date=May 29, 2020|archive-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603003442/https://kttc.com/2020/05/29/minneapolis-mayor-imposes-curfew-for-friday-saturday/|url-status=dead}} Local police forces in suburban cities made plans to increase patrols.

In the late afternoon on May 29, Hennepin County Attorney Michael O. Freeman charged Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd's neck as he died, with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The charging documents summarized portions of the preliminary autopsy findings by Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker that had not yet been released publicly in full. The court documents mentioned contributing factors leading up to Floyd's death in addition to the physical trauma of Chauvin's neck restraint, which added to public confusion and anger as the protests intensified. Some called for Baker to be fired.{{Cite news |last=Stanley |first=Greg |date=2020-09-19 |title=George Floyd's autopsy puts Hennepin County Medical Examiner Andrew Baker in the hot seat |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/floyd-s-autopsy-makes-medical-examiner-a-rare-target-of-anger/571343522/ |access-date=2023-07-20}}{{Cite news |last1=Olson |first1=Rochelle |last2=Mannix |first2=Andy |date=2022-02-01 |title=Defense asks medical examiner about outside pressures during George Floyd death investigation |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/defense-asks-medical-examiner-about-outside-pressures-during-george-floyd-death-investigation/600141886/ |access-date=2023-07-20}} New charges for officers Lane, Kueng, and Thao, who were at the scene of Floyd's murder, also remained pending. Protesters who had demanded immediate murder charges against all four officers were disappointed; four days had already elapsed since Floyd's murder. Many protesters intensified focus on the demand for criminal charges in their messaging that day.{{Cite news|author=|date=2020-05-30|title=What charges are former officer Derek Chauvin facing in the death of George Floyd?|work=KMSP-TV|format=URL and video|url=https://www.fox9.com/news/what-charges-are-former-officer-derek-chauvin-facing-in-the-death-of-george-floyd|url-status=live|access-date=2020-05-31|archive-date=March 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312044117/https://www.fox9.com/news/what-charges-are-former-officer-derek-chauvin-facing-in-the-death-of-george-floyd}}

The Target Corporation expanded its closure of stores to 73 in Minnesota with the violence not appearing to abate.{{cite news|last1=Uren|first1=Adam|date=May 30, 2020|title=Target now closing 73 stores across Minnesota until further notice|language=en|work=Bring Me The News|url=https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/target-now-closing-73-stores-across-minnesota-until-further-notice|url-status=live|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530155720/https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/target-now-closing-73-stores-across-minnesota-until-further-notice|archive-date=May 30, 2020}} Several thousand people rallied peacefully in Minneapolis in the afternoon, culminating in a march on to Interstate 35W where demonstrators knelt.{{Cite news|last1=Regan|first1=Sheila|last2=Klemko|first2=Robert|last3=Johnson|first3=Jenna|date=2020-05-30|title=As fear settles over Minneapolis, protests and violent clashes spread across the U.S.|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-fear-settles-over-minneapolis-protests-and-violent-clashes-spread-across-the-us/2020/05/30/ece33416-a297-11ea-b5c9-570a91917d8d_story.html|access-date=2021-07-08|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=June 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608192936/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-fear-settles-over-minneapolis-protests-and-violent-clashes-spread-across-the-us/2020/05/30/ece33416-a297-11ea-b5c9-570a91917d8d_story.html|url-status=live}} The de-escalation strategy of abandoning the third precinct station the previous night, however, was said to have had little effect on quelling unrest later on Friday. Despite the announcement of the charge against Chauvin, protesters said they would defy curfew until all four police officers at the scene of Floyd's death were charged criminally.

File:20200529- DSC8290 (49950473158).jpg bank on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, May 29, 2020]]

Riots broke out again the night of Friday, May 29 and continued into early morning of Saturday, May 30. Demonstrators had tear gas fired on them in rallies at the abandoned third precinct building in Minneapolis. Later in the night, the police presence diminished and several cars were set on fire.

Much of the action the night of May 29 took place near the Minneapolis police fifth precinct station at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue. Law enforcement presence was reportedly "undetectable" as violence in Minneapolis quickly grew until just before midnight, when police officers, state troopers, and members of the National Guard began confronting rioters with tear gas and mass force.{{Cite web|last=Faircloth|first=Ryan|title='You need to go home,' Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says as new fires, looting hit Minneapolis|url=https://www.startribune.com/walz-this-is-about-chaos-as-new-fires-looting-hit-mpls/570882282/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530115556/https://www.startribune.com/walz-this-is-about-chaos-as-new-fires-looting-hit-mpls/570882282/|archive-date=May 30, 2020|access-date=May 30, 2020|website=Star Tribune|date=May 30, 2020 }} Seventy-five fires were reported across Minneapolis that night.

Officials later said that the 350 police officers at the site of rioting near the Minneapolis fifth precinct station were vastly outnumbered by the crowds.{{Cite web|title='This Is Not About George's Death': Protesters Defy Minneapolis Curfew Order, Fires Rage During 4th Night Of Unrest|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/30/protesters-defy-minneapolis-curfew-order-several-fires-set-during-4th-night-of-unrest-over-george-floyds-death/|date=May 30, 2020|language=en-US|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530110538/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/30/protesters-defy-minneapolis-curfew-order-several-fires-set-during-4th-night-of-unrest-over-george-floyds-death/|archive-date=May 30, 2020|url-status=live}} Walz explained that the scope of the chaos, the time it takes to mobilize guard troops, and the mobile nature of the crowds made it difficult to direct response forces. Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said that protests were active at several sites through the city and that there were not enough officers to safely and successfully undertake multiple missions.Brown, Kyle (30 May 2020). [https://kstp.com/news/citing-largest-national-guard-deployment-in-minnesotas-history-gov-walz-addresses-efforts-to-contain-george-floyd-protests/5745408/ "Gov. Walz calls for full mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard; says many protesters from out of state"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707103204/https://kstp.com/news/citing-largest-national-guard-deployment-in-minnesotas-history-gov-walz-addresses-efforts-to-contain-george-floyd-protests/5745408/ |date=July 7, 2020 }}. KSTP. Retrieved on 30 May 2020.

As the events unfolded that night, the Pentagon placed members of the Military Police Corps from Fort Bragg and Fort Drum on stand-by, preparing for possible deployment to the Twin Cities if requested by Walz.{{cite news|last1=Laporta|first1=James|last2=Burns|first2=Robert|date=May 30, 2020|title=Pentagon puts military police on alert to go to Minneapolis|work=AP News|url=https://apnews.com/cf9947a3ca9f3225f9645fd330403eae|url-status=live|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530065503/https://apnews.com/cf9947a3ca9f3225f9645fd330403eae|archive-date=May 30, 2020}} Walz later declined the offer and activated all of the state's National Guard, up to 13,200 troops.{{cite news |title=George Floyd Live Updates: Officials Brace for Fifth Night of Protest |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/us/minneapolis-floyd-protests.html#link-4737bd55 |access-date=May 30, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=May 30, 2020 |archive-date=May 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530223006/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/us/minneapolis-floyd-protests.html#link-4737bd55 |url-status=live }}

File:Unrest_in_Minneapolis_over_the_May_25th_death_of_George_Floyd.jpg

Overnight from May 29 to May 30, smoke and the sound of helicopters filled the sky in Minneapolis through the night as multiple fires burned near the fifth police precinct station in Minneapolis. A United States Post Office on Nicollet Avenue, a Wells Fargo Bank branch, and several gas stations, among other businesses, blazed overnight. Several businesses also burned on West Broadway Avenue in north Minneapolis, including a barbershop that was destroyed by fire. Officials were unable to immediately attend to major fires, citing security concerns at the sites, but later reached them when they could be accompanied by National Guard and police patrols.{{cite news |last1=Faircloth |first1=Ryan |title=Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz: 'This is about chaos' as new fires, looting hit Minneapolis |url=https://www.startribune.com/walz-bolsters-guard-troops-after-4th-destructive-night/570882282/ |publisher=Star Tribune |date=30 May 2020 |access-date=June 18, 2020 |archive-date=June 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616221854/https://www.startribune.com/walz-bolsters-guard-troops-after-4th-destructive-night/570882282/ |url-status=live }}

For the second time in as many nights, officials held a press conference at 1:30 a.m. CDT, but this time in Saint Paul and led by the governor and state officials. Some officials speculated that much of the destruction was being caused by people from outside the state, a claim that was later contradicted by arrest records of protesters and that officials rescinded.{{cite web|last1=Collins|first1=Jon|last2=Shockman|first2=Elizabeth|title=Outsiders, extremists are among those fomenting violence in Twin Cities|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/30/outsiders-extremists-are-among-those-fomenting-violence-in-twin-cities|website=Minnesota Public Radio|access-date=May 31, 2020|date=May 30, 2020|archive-date=June 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601015721/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/30/outsiders-extremists-are-among-those-fomenting-violence-in-twin-cities|url-status=live}} It was reported that mayor Frey and governor Walz appeared visibly exhausted as they made emotional pleas to the public about Floyd's murder and the escalation of violence. "The absolute chaos — this is not grieving, and this is not making a statement [about an injustice] that we fully acknowledge needs to be fixed — this is dangerous," Walz said. "You need to go home."

File:Nicollet Avenue Protest (50782673563).jpg at the fifth precinct police station in Minneapolis, May 30, 2020.]]

Officials mobilized National Guard troops throughout Saturday, May 30, expecting even larger crowds. Groups of people continued to gather at George Floyd Square, the makeshift memorial at the site of Floyd's arrest and subsequent murder.{{Cite web|title=Live updates: George Floyd protests spread nationwide|url=https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-30-20/index.html|last=Marquez|first=Miguel|date=May 30, 2020|website=CNN|language=en|access-date=May 30, 2020|archive-date=May 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530113525/https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-30-20/index.html|url-status=live}} More than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the home of Michael Freeman, the attorney for Hennepin County and initial prosecutor of the four Minneapolis police officers involved in the murder of George Floyd, and caused minor damage to the house.{{Cite news|author=|date=2020-05-30|title=Thousands gather outside Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman's home.|work=WCCO Radio|url=https://www.audacy.com/wccoradio/articles/thousands-gather-outside-hennepin-county-attorney-mike-freem|access-date=2021-05-03|archive-date=November 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121171636/https://www.audacy.com/wccoradio/articles/thousands-gather-outside-hennepin-county-attorney-mike-freem|url-status=live}}

By nightfall, demonstrations in Minneapolis were a mix of peaceful gatherings and others that involved property destruction.{{Cite news |last=Webster |first=Tony |date=2020-06-02 |title=St. Paul man charged with attempted murder of Minneapolis police officers |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/06/02/st-paul-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-of-minneapolis-police-officers/ |url-status=live |access-date=2020-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512150228/https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/06/02/st-paul-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-of-minneapolis-police-officers/ |archive-date=May 12, 2021}} Minneapolis police reported that a group of protesters near Hiawatha Avenue and Lake Street were attacking police by throwing nondescript objects, and deployed more units to the area.{{Cite web|title=Objects and vehicles used to attack police officers in Minneapolis, authorities say|url=https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-31-20#h_c8d1d34bd076febd9cac7703c88ef628|date=May 31, 2020|website=CNN|language=en|access-date=May 31, 2020|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611182228/https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-31-20/h_c8d1d34bd076febd9cac7703c88ef628|url-status=live}} That night after curfew, police fired tear gas at a group of protesters who were attempting to march from Minneapolis to Saint Paul via the Lake Street Bridge. Police also fired rubber bullets, paint canisters, and tear gas at sitting protesters and journalists outside the Minneapolis fifth precinct police station, resulting in serious injuries.{{Cite web|url = https://www.twincities.com/2020/05/30/journalists-report-being-fired-on-gassed-in-minneapolis-george-floyd-protests/|title = Journalists report being fired on, arrested, gassed covering Minneapolis unrest|date = May 31, 2020|access-date = January 20, 2021|archive-date = January 22, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210122101612/https://www.twincities.com/2020/05/30/journalists-report-being-fired-on-gassed-in-minneapolis-george-floyd-protests/|url-status = live}}

At approximately 10:53 p.m.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-28 |title=Complaint: State of Minnesota versus Justin Harland Stetson (27-CR-22-25882) |url=https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2022/docs/Stetson_Complaint.pdf |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Minnesota Attorney General's Office |archive-date=December 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230014141/https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2022/docs/Stetson_Complaint.pdf |url-status=live }} on May 30, Jaleel Stallings, a 27-year-old man from Saint Paul, was part of a group of people in a parking lot on East Lake Street between 14th and 15th avenues in Minneapolis who were protecting businesses from looting, in defiance of the curfew order. Minneapolis police officers who were in an unmarked white van encountered the group and fired rubber bullets without advance warning or announcing themselves as police. Stallings, believing the officers might be white supremacists firing live rounds, returned three{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2021-09-01 |title=Jaleel Stallings shot at the MPD; a jury acquitted him of wrongdoing |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/09/01/jaleel-stallings-shot-at-the-mpd-a-jury-acquitted-him-of-wrongdoing/ |access-date=2021-09-01 |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614222544/https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/09/01/jaleel-stallings-shot-at-the-mpd-a-jury-acquitted-him-of-wrongdoing/ |url-status=live }} rounds of defensive gunfire, aiming low and at the ground. When the van stopped and a SWAT team exited and identified themselves as police, Stallings dropped his gun and lay down on the ground to surrender and verbally apologized to the officers. Minneapolis police officer Justin Stetson{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2022-12-28 |title=Former Minneapolis police officer charged with assaulting Jaleel Stallings |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/28/former-minneapolis-police-officer-charged-with-assaulting-jaleel-stallings/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229195719/https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/28/former-minneapolis-police-officer-charged-with-assaulting-jaleel-stallings/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=Justin Stetson admits guilt in assault of Jaleel Stallings |url=https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2023/05/10_Stetson.asp |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=The Official Website Office of the Minnesota Attorney General |language=en |quote=}} allegedly kicked and punched Stallings several times in the head as the officers arrested him, with the events being filmed on law enforcement body cameras. Stallings suffered a broken eye socket.{{Cite news |last=Xiong |first=Chao |date=2020-06-02 |title=Charges: St. Paul man fired multiple gunshots at Minneapolis police |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/charges-st-paul-man-fired-multiple-gunshots-at-minneapolis-police-saturday/570958892/ |url-status=live |access-date=2020-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511203735/https://www.startribune.com/charges-st-paul-man-fired-multiple-gunshots-at-minneapolis-police-saturday/570958892/ |archive-date=May 11, 2021}}{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2022-05-17 |title=Minneapolis to pay Jaleel Stallings $1.5 million |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/05/17/minneapolis-to-pay-1-5-million-to-settle-jaleel-stallings-lawsuit/ |access-date=2022-05-17 |archive-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620015136/https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/05/17/minneapolis-to-pay-1-5-million-to-settle-jaleel-stallings-lawsuit/ |url-status=live }}

By Saturday night, the Minnesota National Guard was approaching full mobilization.Dale, Daniel (1 July 2020). [https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/politics/fact-check-trump-walz-minnesota-national-guard/index.html "Fact check: Minnesota governor, not Trump, called out the National Guard"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714145730/https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/01/politics/fact-check-trump-walz-minnesota-national-guard/index.html |date=July 14, 2020 }}. CNN. Retrieved on 14 July 2020. No buildings were set on fire in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, unlike the previous three nights. After May 30, violent riots subsided and protests returned to being largely peaceful events.

File:Protesters gather at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 31, 2020.jpg in Saint Paul, May 31, 2020]]By late morning on May 31, several thousand Minnesota National Guard troops were conducting missions. Protests and rallies were held at various locations throughout the metropolitan region. Crowds of people once again gathered at the site of Floyd's arrest and subsequent murder.{{Cite web|title=Protesters gather where George Floyd was arrested for march|url=https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-31-20#h_7cea6d26defb558cc8c27938b1756c96|last=Marquez|first=Miguel|date=May 31, 2020|website=CNN|language=en|access-date=May 31, 2020|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611182232/https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-31-20/h_7cea6d26defb558cc8c27938b1756c96|url-status=live}} Speakers at a "Justice for George Floyd" rally at the state capitol building in Saint Paul spoke about police brutality and called for the arrest of the other three officers at the scene of Floyd's murder. A peaceful crowd marched westbound on I-94 before heading down University Avenue in Saint Paul.[https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/31/floyd-protests-more-than-55-arrested-in-protest-walz-extends-curfew "Floyd protests: Protesters march, block traffic; Walz extends curfew".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705231103/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/05/31/floyd-protests-more-than-55-arrested-in-protest-walz-extends-curfew |date=July 5, 2020 }} 31 May 2020. MPR News. Retrieved on 5 July 2020. Later in the day, Walz and Freeman agreed that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would assist in the investigation of Floyd's murder.{{Cite web|last=Montemayor|first=Stephen|date=2020-06-01|title=Minnesota AG Keith Ellison to take over case in Floyd killing|url=https://www.startribune.com/ag-keith-ellison-to-take-over-case-in-floyd-killing/570911922/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-06|website=Star Tribune|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620180333/https://www.startribune.com/ag-keith-ellison-to-take-over-case-in-floyd-killing/570911922/}}

Shortly after 6:00 p.m. CDT on May 31, an estimated crowd of 5,000 to 6,000 people gathered on the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis and, believing police forces had fully closed the interstate highway after they marched on to it, began taking a knee.{{cite news |last1=Nelson |first1=Joe |title=Watch: Tanker truck speeds towards protesters on I-35W bridge |url=https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/video-shows-tanker-truck-speed-towards-protesters-on-i-35w-bridge-in-minneapolis |work=Bring Me The News |date=May 31, 2020 |language=en |access-date=June 11, 2020 |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606133522/https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/video-shows-tanker-truck-speed-towards-protesters-on-i-35w-bridge-in-minneapolis |url-status=live }} A semi-truck tanker drove northbound through an unbarricaded section of the highway and into the protesters, causing the crowd to part ways to avoid being run down. The driver{{Em dash}}a 35-year-old man from Otsego, Minnesota returning from a fuel delivery{{Em dash}}initially came to a halt, but then tried to continue driving forward, until he was pulled from his cab and beaten by the surrounding crowd. He suffered minor injuries, as some of the protesters attempted to protect him.

A live social media video captured a person pointing a gun at the truck driver and shooting two rounds into the truck's front tire.{{Cite web|last=Olson|first=Rochelle|date=October 22, 2020|title=Truck driver who drove through George Floyd protesters on I-35W bridge is charged|url=https://www.startribune.com/trucker-who-drove-onto-i-35w-during-floyd-protest-charged/572827812/|access-date=2020-10-25|website=Star Tribune|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025195429/https://www.startribune.com/trucker-who-drove-onto-i-35w-during-floyd-protest-charged/572827812/|url-status=live}} Bystanders brought the truck driver to the police, who then pepper-sprayed the crowd. The driver was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, then released into the custody of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which initially charged him with assault.{{cite news |last1=McBride |first1=Jessica |title=Bogdan Vechirko Accused of Driving Tanker Truck Through Minneapolis Crowd |url=https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/bogdan-vechirko/ |access-date=May 31, 2020 |work=Heavy.com |date=May 31, 2020 |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606133522/https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/bogdan-vechirko/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news|date=May 31, 2020|title=BREAKING: Semi-Truck Speeds Into Minneapolis George Floyd Protest Marchers On I-35W Bridge|work=WCCO|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/31/breaking-semi-truck-appears-to-drive-through-protest-marchers-on-i-35w-bridge/|access-date=June 11, 2020|archive-date=June 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610081021/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/31/breaking-semi-truck-appears-to-drive-through-protest-marchers-on-i-35w-bridge/|url-status=live}} No serious injuries to the people on the bridge were reported, though one protester suffered abrasions during the incident. Led by the Minnesota State Patrol and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, officials cited 318 people for unlawful assembly in connection to the incident.{{Cite news |last=Eischens |first=Rilyn |date=2021-05-27 |title=One year later, few charges for the arson and destruction |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/05/27/one-year-later-few-charges-for-the-arson-and-destruction/ |access-date=2021-05-27 |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201043941/https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/05/27/one-year-later-few-charges-for-the-arson-and-destruction/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|last=Olson|first=Rochelle|date=2021-06-18|title=Charges to be dismissed against trucker who drove into George Floyd protest on 35W bridge|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-trucker-who-drove-into-george-floyd-protest-on-35w-bridge/600069655/|access-date=2021-06-18|archive-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618162905/https://www.startribune.com/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-trucker-who-drove-into-george-floyd-protest-on-35w-bridge/600069655/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Rochelle |date=2021-06-18 |title=Charges to be dismissed against trucker who drove into George Floyd protest on 35W bridge |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-trucker-who-drove-into-george-floyd-protest-on-35w-bridge/600069655/ |access-date=2021-06-18 |archive-date=June 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618162905/https://www.startribune.com/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-trucker-who-drove-into-george-floyd-protest-on-35w-bridge/600069655/ |url-status=live }}

File:Terrence Floyd, George Floyd's brother visits the location where his brother was killed, now a memorial, at Chicago Ave and E 38th St in Minneapolis, Minnesota - 49960683978.jpg, June 1, 2020]]

On Monday, June 1, 2020, Governor Walz began the process of demobilizing the state's National Guard, a process that would take several days.{{Cite news|last=Fuller|first=Zach|date=2020-06-01|title=Minnesota National Guard to demobilize, leaders say it's time to work|work=KTTC|url=https://kttc.com/2020/06/01/minnesota-national-guard-to-demobilize-leaders-say-its-time-to-work/|access-date=2021-05-23|archive-date=May 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524054341/https://kttc.com/2020/06/01/minnesota-national-guard-to-demobilize-leaders-say-its-time-to-work/|url-status=dead}} Two autopsy reports were publicized{{Em dash}}one by the Hennepin County medical examiner and one by doctors hired by Floyd's family{{Em dash}}both of which ruled Floyd's death a homicide.{{Cite news|author=|date=2021-03-05|title=Timeline: The killing of George Floyd and trial of Derek Chauvin|work=Minnesota Public Radio|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/03/05/timeline-the-killing-of-george-floyd|access-date=2021-05-24|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525031033/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/03/05/timeline-the-killing-of-george-floyd|url-status=live}}

Thousands gathered peacefully at the Minnesota State Capitol building in Saint Paul and marched to the Governor's Residence, calling for police reforms and the prosecution of all four officers who were involved in Floyd's murder. Nearly 30 Saint Paul police officers on the outskirts of the rally took a knee, which drew criticism from rally organizers who felt the gesture was a hollow public relations stunt and asked them to leave. Activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, citing distrust of Attorney General Keith Ellison, demanded that Floyd's case be handled outside the state. Governor Tim Walz attended part of the rally but did not speak publicly.{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=James |title=Thousands gather at governor's mansion to protest Floyd's death |url=https://www.startribune.com/thousands-gather-in-st-paul-to-protest-george-floyd-s-death/570935022/ |access-date=9 June 2020 |publisher=Star Tribune |date=1 June 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610083717/https://www.startribune.com/thousands-gather-in-st-paul-to-protest-george-floyd-s-death/570935022/ |url-status=live }}

Floyd's family addressed a crowd at the 38th and Chicago intersection and encouraged people to continue protesting, but to do so peacefully. Terrance Floyd, George's brother, said that instead of destroying property, demonstrators should, "Educate yourself, and know who you're voting for. That's how we're going to hit them ... Let's switch it up."{{Cite news|author=|date=2020-06-01|title=June 1 George Floyd protest news|work=CNN|url=https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-06-01-20#h_bef0ba5c9f3ab227784f186ca7657d61|access-date=2021-05-23|archive-date=July 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713171936/https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-06-01-20/h_bef0ba5c9f3ab227784f186ca7657d61|url-status=live}}

File:06 02 20 Downtown Minneapolis (51175393059).jpg

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020, thousands of people gathered for several peaceful protests across the Twin Cities. Reflecting on social justice action during the United States civil rights era, faith leaders held corresponding marches in south Minneapolis and Saint Paul. A dozen area high school students organized a sit-in at the state capitol building in Saint Paul that drew an estimated crowd of 3,000 people.Ferraro, Nick (2 June 2020). [https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/02/thousands-gather-for-peaceful-protests-across-twin-cities-tuesday/ "Thousands gather for peaceful protests across Twin Cities Tuesday".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618015547/https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/02/thousands-gather-for-peaceful-protests-across-twin-cities-tuesday/ |date=June 18, 2020 }} Pioneer Press. Retrieved on 8 July 2020. A National Guard troop member was given the opportunity to briefly address the crowd to explain their mission to restore order and protect peaceful assembly.{{Cite web|last=Minnesota National Guard|date=2020-06-02|title=A peaceful evening protest bonds National Guard service members and demonstrators – Minnesota National Guard|url=https://minnesotanationalguard.ng.mil/a-peaceful-evening-protest-bonds-national-guard-service-members-and-demonstrators/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Minnesota National Guard|language=en-US|archive-date=May 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523201739/https://minnesotanationalguard.ng.mil/a-peaceful-evening-protest-bonds-national-guard-service-members-and-demonstrators/}}{{Cite news|last=Doran|first=Kevin|date=2020-06-11|title=How the Minnesota National Guard connected with protesters during the George Floyd demonstrations|work=KTSP|url=https://kstp.com/news/how-the-minnesota-national-guard-connected-with-protesters-during-the-george-floyd-demonstrations/5757579/|access-date=2021-05-23|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110085925/https://kstp.com/news/how-the-minnesota-national-guard-connected-with-protesters-during-the-george-floyd-demonstrations/5757579/|url-status=live}} Somber protests continued at the Minneapolis intersection were Floyd was murdered and a group remained after the curfew time came and went.{{cite news |last1=Silva |first1=Daniella |title=A somber protest at the Minneapolis intersection where Floyd died |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blog/2020-06-02-nationwide-protests-over-george-floyd-death-live-n1221821 |access-date=11 June 2020 |work=NBC News |date=2 June 2020 |archive-date=June 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613021522/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blog/2020-06-02-nationwide-protests-over-george-floyd-death-live-n1221821 |url-status=live }}

On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who four days earlier took over the case against the officers involved in Floyd's murder, upgraded the murder charges against former officer Chauvin and charged former officers Kueng, Lane, and Thao with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Floyd's family called the charges "a significant step forward on the road to justice". Walz, who visited the Floyd memorial at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis where crowds continued to gather, said he recognized "that the anguish driving protests around the world is about more than one tragic incident".{{cite news|url=https://www.startribune.com/ellison-will-charge-chauvin-with-2nd-degree-others-to-be-charged/570984872/|title=Attorney General Keith Ellison to elevate charges against officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck; also charging other 3 involved|last1=Montemayor|first1=Stephen|last2=Xiong|first2=Chao|date=June 3, 2020|work=Minnesota Star-Tribune|access-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603192044/https://www.startribune.com/ellison-will-charge-chauvin-with-2nd-degree-others-to-be-charged/570984872/|archive-date=June 3, 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web | title=George Floyd Death: Derek Chauvin's Now Faces 2nd-Degree Unintentional Murder; 3 Other Officers Charged | website=CBS Minnesota | date=June 3, 2020 | url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/03/george-floyd-death-derek-chauvins-murder-charge-upgraded-to-2nd-degree-unintentional-murder-3-other-officers-charged/ | access-date=June 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603211009/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/03/george-floyd-death-derek-chauvins-murder-charge-upgraded-to-2nd-degree-unintentional-murder-3-other-officers-charged/ | archive-date=June 3, 2020 | url-status=live }}

File:Nearby the George Floyd Memorial outside Cup Foods at Chicago Ave and E 38th St in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday evening following his memorial service in the city. - 49973620512.jpg in Minneapolis, June 4, 2020]]On Thursday, June 4, 2020, some protests continued Thursday as the family of George Floyd held a memorial service for him at North Central University in Minneapolis, about {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} from where he was killed on May 25. Many state and local officials attended, including governor Walz, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. The service also drew national officials and civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King III, Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as several celebrity figures. A reverent crowd gathered at nearby Elliot Park to listen to a broadcast of the memorial on loudspeakers where free food, groceries, and dry goods were provided.Louwagie, Pam (5 June 2020). [https://www.startribune.com/memorial-for-george-floyd-looks-ahead-to-what-s-next/571016152/ "You changed the world, George': George Floyd remembered in rousing, poignant memorial service"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623123336/https://www.startribune.com/memorial-for-george-floyd-looks-ahead-to-what-s-next/571016152/ |date=June 23, 2020 }}. Star Tribune. Retrieved on 6 July 2020.Morrison, Aaron and Sullivan, Tim (4 June 2020). [https://www.startribune.com/protests-turn-subdued-after-new-charges-in-floyd-case/571008642/?refresh=true "`Get your knee off our necks!': Floyd mourned in Minneapolis"]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Star Tribune. Retrieved on 6 July 2020.

On Friday, June 5, 2020, thousands gathered for a rally at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to honor the life of Floyd and call for police reform measures. Former NBA basketball player Royce White, a featured speaker at the event that brought civil rights organizations and professional athletes together, called for the resignation of police union president Bob Kroll. The protest group marched through the city in the early evening.Gray, Callan (5 June 2020). [https://kstp.com/news/thousands-march-through-minneapolis-on-friday-calling-for-reform-june-5-2020/5752359/ "Thousands march through Minneapolis on Friday calling for reform"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703004134/https://kstp.com/news/thousands-march-through-minneapolis-on-friday-calling-for-reform-june-5-2020/5752359/ |date=July 3, 2020 }}. KTSP. Retrieved on 8 July 2018.

As nights grew calmer, curfews that had been in place since the previous Friday ended in the Twin Cities on June 5, 2020.{{cite news |last1=Pross |first1=Katrina |title=Nightly curfews in Minneapolis, St. Paul to end |url=https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/05/nightly-curfews-in-minneapolis-st-paul-to-end/ |access-date=9 June 2020 |publisher=Pioneer Press |date=5 June 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608042346/https://www.twincities.com/2020/06/05/nightly-curfews-in-minneapolis-st-paul-to-end/ |url-status=live }}

On Saturday, June 6, 2020, thousands of protesters marched in Minneapolis in an event led by local organization Black Visions Collective. Protesters gathered at the city's Bottineau Field Park, marched past the Minneapolis Police Federation's union headquarters, and ended at Mayor Frey's private residence.{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Jane |date=2020-06-07 |title=Minneapolis Mayor Frey tells 'DefundMPD' marchers he favors reforms over disbanding |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/frey-tells-defundmpd-marchers-he-favors-reforms-over-disbanding/571075452/ |access-date= |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204172725/https://www.startribune.com/frey-tells-defundmpd-marchers-he-favors-reforms-over-disbanding/571075452/ |url-status=live }} The march featured chants of "George Floyd!" and "Black Lives Matter!" and pleas to defund the police.{{Cite web |author1=Amir Vera |author2=Hollie Silverman |title=Minneapolis mayor booed by protesters after refusing to defund and abolish police |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/us/minneapolis-mayor-police-abolition/index.html |access-date=2020-06-07 |website=CNN |date=June 7, 2020 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429152250/https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/07/us/minneapolis-mayor-police-abolition/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Schuman |first1=David |date=6 June 2020 |title='I'm Not For Abolishing The Entire Police Department': Mayor Frey Speaks Out At Mpls. Protest |publisher=WCCO 4CBS Minnesota |url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/06/im-not-for-abolishing-the-entire-police-department-mayor-frey-speaks-out-at-mpls-protest/ |access-date=10 June 2020 |archive-date=September 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908140844/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/06/im-not-for-abolishing-the-entire-police-department-mayor-frey-speaks-out-at-mpls-protest/ |url-status=live }} At Frey's home, the crowd demanded that he come outside, and then when Frey appeared asked if he supported abolishing the city's police force. After Frey responded that he did not, the crowd ordered him to leave and booed him away. At the rally, United States Representative Ilhan Omar, whose Minnesota's 5th congressional district encompassed Minneapolis, denounced the city's police force as "inherently beyond reform".File:Minneapolis City Council Pledges to Dismantle Police Department.jpg" event at Powderhorn Park, June 7, 2020]]

On Sunday, June 7, 2020, at a Powderhorn Park rally organized by Black Visions Collective and several other black-led social justice organizations, nine of the 13 members of the Minneapolis City Council vowed before a large crowd to dismantle the city's police department.{{Cite news |last1=Searcey |first1=Dionne |last2=Eligon |first2=John |date=June 7, 2020 |title=Minneapolis Will Dismantle Its Police Force, Council Members Pledge |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/minneapolis-police-abolish.html |access-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608020003/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/us/minneapolis-police-abolish.html |url-status=live }} Onstage taking the pledge were Council President Lisa Bender, Vice President Andrea Jenkins and Council Members Alondra Cano, Phillipe Cunningham, Jeremiah Ellison, Steve Fletcher, Cam Gordon, Andrew Johnson, and Jeremy Schroeder. At the rally, Bender said of the pledge to abolish the city's police force, "Our efforts at incremental reform have failed. Period."{{Cite web |last=Solender |first=Andrew |title=Minneapolis Votes To Disband Police Department |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/06/07/minneapolis-votes-to-disband-police-department/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607234814/https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/06/07/minneapolis-votes-to-disband-police-department/ |archive-date=June 7, 2020 |access-date=June 8, 2020 |website=Forbes |language=en}} Council Member Linea Palmisano attended the rally as an audience member, but did not go on stage or take the pledge, and Council Members Lisa Goodman and Kevin Reich did not attend nor agree to the pledge.{{Cite web |last=Navratil |first=Liz |date=2020-06-08 |title=Most of Minneapolis City Council pledges to 'begin the process of ending' Police Department |url=https://www.startribune.com/mpls-council-majority-backs-dismantling-police-department/571088302/ |access-date=2020-11-28 |website=Star Tribune |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229145628/https://www.startribune.com/mpls-council-majority-backs-dismantling-police-department/571088302/ |url-status=live }} The June 7 pledge by nine city council members, though it represented a veto-proof majority, did not actually disband the Minneapolis police force and details about the next steps in the process were not defined at the time. Some activists wanted to consider the idea of unarmed crisis response personnel and re-purposing the police department's $193 million annual budget for education, food, housing, and health care.{{Cite web |title=Veto-proof majority of Minneapolis council members supports dismantling police department |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/07/vetoproof-majority-minneapolis-council-members-gives-support-dismantling-police-department |access-date=2020-06-08 |website=MPR News |date=June 7, 2020 |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608151523/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/07/vetoproof-majority-minneapolis-council-members-gives-support-dismantling-police-department |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Minneapolis City Council members announces intent to radically change their city's police department |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-city-council-announces-intent-to-radically-change-police-department/ |access-date=2020-06-08 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608153030/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-city-council-announces-intent-to-radically-change-police-department/ |url-status=live }}

A multi-agency government command that responded to the civil unrest demobilized on Monday, June 7, 2020, exactly two weeks after Floyd's murder. The government response was led by Minnesota Department of Public Safety and had participation of federal agencies, Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Minnesota State Patrol, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The command had provided security for some events, such as the June 4 memorial in Elliot Park, but noted that events leading up to and on June 7 were not violent.{{Cite news|last=Gerlicher.|first=Scott|date=2020|title=Written Testimony of Commander Scott Gerlicher, Minneapolis Police Department, August 2020|work=Town Square Media|url=https://townsquare.media/site/669/files/2020/09/Written-Testimony-Scott-Gerlicher.pdf|access-date=2021-05-23|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025071923/https://townsquare.media/site/669/files/2020/09/Written-Testimony-Scott-Gerlicher.pdf|url-status=live}} By June 7, the State of Minnesota had pressed 7,123 members of the Minnesota National Guard into duty under the command of Major General Jon A. Jensen in the largest deployment in the state since World War II. The state command had also mobilized 575 state patrol troopers and 190 conservation officers for the riot response.Wilder Research (March 2022). "[https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DPS_ExternalReview_Report.pdf An External Review of the State's Response to the Civil Unrest in Minnesota from May 26-June 7, 2020: A Report of Findings and Recommendations Prepared by Wilder Research for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331170911/https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DPS_ExternalReview_Report.pdf |date=March 31, 2022 }}". Retrieved April 19, 2022.

{{Main|Aftermath of the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul}}{{Further|List of arson damage during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul}}File:Minneapolis Police Department 3rd Precinct.jpg

File:10 29 20 South Minneapolis (51186768500).jpg

By early June 2020, nearly 1,500 property locations in the Twin Cities metropolitan region had been damaged by vandalism, fire, and/or looting, with some buildings reduced to rubble and dozens of others completely destroyed by fire. The heaviest damage occurred in Minneapolis along a {{convert|5|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch on Lake Street between the city's third and fifth police precincts and in Saint Paul along a {{convert|3.5|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch of University Avenue in the Midway area. Reports of property destruction in the metropolitan region reached from the northern suburbs of Blaine and Maple Grove to the southern suburb of Apple Valley. Most of the arrests of demonstrators that later resulted in criminal charges were for acts of property destruction and rioting that occurred by June 1, 2020. Estimates of property damage in the region were upwards of $500 million, making the local unrest in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area the second most destructive in United States history, after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. About 60% of the financial losses were uninsured.{{Cite news |last=Du |first=Susan |date=2020-05-21 |title=A better Lake Street? A daring hope for riot-torn corridor |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/lake-street-fights-on-minneapolis-george-floyd-riot/600174854/ |access-date=2020-05-21 |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524195544/https://www.startribune.com/lake-street-fights-on-minneapolis-george-floyd-riot/600174854/ |url-status=live }} Local officials estimated that rebuilding damaged business corridors in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region would take 10 years.

In the mornings after nights of heavy rioting, hundreds of residents with snow shovels and brooms went to affected areas to clean up trash, graffiti, broken glass, and the remnants of damaged buildings.{{cite news|last1=Severson|first1=Gordon|date=29 May 2020|title=You got to see us angry, now you get to see us peacefully trying to clean up|publisher=KARE11|url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/community-cleans-up-after-minneapolis-riots/89-1af24d5b-6f28-4d6e-970f-99f6c9a64d4b}}{{cite news|last1=Formichella|first1=Lucien|date=1 Jun 2020|title=Minneapolis volunteers clean up streets after Floyd protests|publisher=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/minneapolis-volunteers-clean-streets-floyd-protests-200601193014397.html|access-date=June 18, 2020|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621155243/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/minneapolis-volunteers-clean-streets-floyd-protests-200601193014397.html|url-status=live}} Residents organized food drives after many convenience stores and grocery stores were destroyed or closed due to the unrest.{{cite news|last1=Hopfensperger|first1=Jean|last2=Smith|first2=Kelly|date=2 June 2020|title=In Minneapolis, a quiet army of generosity gains strength|publisher=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/in-minneapolis-a-quiet-army-of-generosity-gains-strength/570970882/|access-date=17 June 2020|archive-date=June 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615001315/https://www.startribune.com/in-minneapolis-a-quiet-army-of-generosity-gains-strength/570970882/|url-status=live}} Vibrant works of street art later appeared all over the Twin Cities on boarded-up buildings and other surfaces that honored George Floyd's memory, contained racial justice themes, and showed community solidarity.{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Liv|date=17 June 2020|title=Minnesota Artists Pay Tribute to George Floyd Through Public Art|url=https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/arts-entertainment/minnesota-artists-george-floyd-public-art-murals/|newspaper=Minnesota Monthly|access-date=June 17, 2020|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618081435/https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/arts-entertainment/minnesota-artists-george-floyd-public-art-murals/|url-status=live}}

At least two deaths occurred during the initial wave of civil disorder. Calvin Horton Jr., a 43-year-old man from Minneapolis, was fatally shot on May 27 by the owner of the Cadillac Pawn & Jewelry shop who believed he was burglarizing his business. Oscar Lee Stewart Jr., a 30-year-old man from Burnsville, Minnesota, died from smoke inhalation and burn injuries from an intentional building fire at the Max It Pawn store in Minneapolis on May 28. No one faced homicide charges in connection to either man's death—Horton's killing was deemed self defense and Steward's death accidental.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-14 |title=No charges in fatal shooting during George Floyd unrest |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/14/no-charges-in-fatal-shooting-during-george-floyd-unrest |access-date=2020-12-15 |website=Minnesota Public Radio |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217054600/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/14/no-charges-in-fatal-shooting-during-george-floyd-unrest |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=2022-01-18 |title=Judge goes below guidelines, gives 10-year term to man who set deadly Lake St. fire during unrest |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/10-years-in-federal-prison-leniency-for-man-who-set-deadly-pawnshop-fire-during-unrest/600136780/ |access-date=2022-01-18 |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031135018/https://www.startribune.com/10-years-in-federal-prison-leniency-for-man-who-set-deadly-pawnshop-fire-during-unrest/600136780/ |url-status=live }}

Officials had trouble identifying the people responsible for causing destruction as the peaceful protests transitioned to riots. Law enforcement recovered incendiaries, weapons, and stolen vehicles left in the areas of heated protests.{{Cite web|last=Silverman|first=Holie|date=May 31, 2020|title=Minnesota law enforcement find incendiaries, weapons and stolen vehicles while responding to protests|url=https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-31-20#h_472523811c79567c48487ce20fa13d75|access-date=June 3, 2020|website=CNN|archive-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603221044/https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-31-20/h_472523811c79567c48487ce20fa13d75|url-status=live}} The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated 164 structure fires due to arson in the Twin Cities in the days after Floyd's murder{{Em dash}}the total did not reflect individual acts of arson and did not include adjacent structures were damaged by large fires. The multi-agency law enforcement command center for the Twin Cities announced that 604 protesters had been arrested as of June 2, 2020.{{Cite web|last=Pham|first=Scott|date=June 2, 2020|title=Police Arrested More Than 11,000 People At Protests Across The US|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/scottpham/floyd-protests-number-of-police-arrests|website=BuzzFeed News|access-date=June 17, 2020|archive-date=December 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229092307/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/scottpham/floyd-protests-number-of-police-arrests|url-status=live}} Several hundred of those arrested were described as participating in peaceful protests, but were taken into custody at night for violating curfew.Staff (1 June 2020). [https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/01/george-floyd-more-than-350-arrested-over-the-weekend-amid-minnesotas-aggressive-response-to-protests-unrest/ "More Than 480 Arrested Over The Weekend Amid Minnesota's Aggressive Response To Protests, Unrest"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702030800/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/01/george-floyd-more-than-350-arrested-over-the-weekend-amid-minnesotas-aggressive-response-to-protests-unrest/ |date=July 2, 2020 }}. WCCO. People charged with violating curfew faced potential fines of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail,Montemayor, Stephen (22 June 2020). [https://www.startribune.com/colin-kaepernick-helping-to-cover-legal-costs-for-minnesota-protesters/571371602/ "Colin Kaepernick helping to cover legal costs for Minnesota protesters"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623214034/https://www.startribune.com/colin-kaepernick-helping-to-cover-legal-costs-for-minnesota-protesters/571371602/ |date=June 23, 2020 }}. Star Tribune. but charges against many who protested peacefully were later dropped.{{Cite news|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|date=2020-11-19|title=Why Charges Against Protesters Are Being Dismissed by the Thousands|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/protests-lawsuits-arrests.html|access-date=2020-12-16|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215030759/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/us/protests-lawsuits-arrests.html|url-status=live}}

File:No_more_liquor_store.jpg

By a year after the unrest, federal officials had charged 17 people for rioting or arson-related crimes and local officials had charged 81 with felonies connected to the unrest. More than half of those charged were described as white Americans who travelled from suburban or rural communities to participate in the unrest, with some motivated to address racial injustice.{{Cite news |last1=Melo |first1=Frederick |last2=Gottfried |first2=Mara H. |date=2020-10-10 |title=Arson suspects face federal charges in connection with unrest after death of George Floyd |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |url=https://www.twincities.com/2020/10/10/federal-charges-arson-george-floyd-protests-minneapolis-st-paul/ |access-date=2021-06-08 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506230503/https://www.twincities.com/2020/10/10/federal-charges-arson-george-floyd-protests-minneapolis-st-paul/ |url-status=live }} The driver of the tanker truck during the I-35W protest march on May 31, 2020, was initially charged with criminal vehicular operation,{{cite news |last1=McBride |first1=Jessica |date=May 31, 2020 |title=Bogdan Vechirko Accused of Driving Tanker Truck Through Minneapolis Crowd |work=Heavy.com |url=https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/bogdan-vechirko/ |access-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606133522/https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/bogdan-vechirko/ |url-status=live }} but the charges were dismissed and the driver asserted he did not drive into the protest intentionally.{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Rochelle |date=2021-06-18 |title=Charges to be dismissed against trucker who drove into George Floyd protest on 35W bridge |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-trucker-who-drove-into-george-floyd-protest-on-35w-bridge/600069655/ |access-date=2021-06-18 |archive-date=June 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618162905/https://www.startribune.com/charges-to-be-dismissed-against-trucker-who-drove-into-george-floyd-protest-on-35w-bridge/600069655/ |url-status=live }}

Jaleel Stallings, who had fired gunshots towards an unmarked vehicle containing police officers on May 30, 2020, was acquitted at trial of an attempted murder charges in 2021 after successfully argued his actions were self defense. Justin Stetson, a former Minneapolis police officer, was charged in late 2022 with third-degree assault for allegedly striking Stallings after he was unarmed and had surrendered.{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2021-09-01 |title=Jaleel Stallings shot at the MPD; a jury acquitted him of wrongdoing |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/09/01/jaleel-stallings-shot-at-the-mpd-a-jury-acquitted-him-of-wrongdoing/ |access-date=2021-09-01 |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614222544/https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/09/01/jaleel-stallings-shot-at-the-mpd-a-jury-acquitted-him-of-wrongdoing/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2022-12-28 |title=Former Minneapolis police officer charged with assaulting Jaleel Stallings |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/28/former-minneapolis-police-officer-charged-with-assaulting-jaleel-stallings/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229195719/https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/28/former-minneapolis-police-officer-charged-with-assaulting-jaleel-stallings/ |url-status=live }} Stallings and several others settled police misconduct lawsuits with the City of Minneapolis in the aftermath of the unrest.{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2021-11-16 |title=Minneapolis faces $111 million in legal payments |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/11/16/minneapolis-faces-111-million-in-legal-payments/ |access-date=2021-11-16 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103154713/https://minnesotareformer.com/2021/11/16/minneapolis-faces-111-million-in-legal-payments/ |url-status=live }} Stetson pleaded guilty on May 10, 2023, to third-degree assault and one count of misconduct as a public officer in order to avoid jail time, with the condition he never work as a police officer in Minnesota again.{{Cite news |last=Longworth |first=Nick |date=2023-05-10 |title=Ex-MPD officer Stetson plea agreement accepted for Jaleel Stallings beating |work=KMSP-TV |url=https://www.fox9.com/news/ex-mpd-officer-stetson-plea-agreement-accepted-for-jaleel-stallings-beating |access-date=2023-05-10 |archive-date=May 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510185231/https://www.fox9.com/news/ex-mpd-officer-stetson-plea-agreement-accepted-for-jaleel-stallings-beating |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Winter |first=Deena |date=2023-05-08 |title=Jaleel Stallings objects to plea deal for MPD officer charged with beating him |work=Minnesota Reformer |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/05/08/stallings-objects-to-plea-deal-for-mpd-officer-charged-with-beating-him/ |access-date=2023-05-09 |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509142558/https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/05/08/stallings-objects-to-plea-deal-for-mpd-officer-charged-with-beating-him/ |url-status=live }}

The events became topic of local and national political debate in the years afterwards. The terminology used to characterize what happened in Minneapolis—"the riots" or "the uprising"—reflected growing political polarization in the United States at the time of Floyd's murder, and implied deeper motives for violent actors during the unrest .{{Cite news |last=Bump |first=Philip |title=Analysis {{!}} The false comparison between last summer's protests and what happened at the Capitol |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/15/false-comparison-between-last-summers-protests-what-happened-capitol/ |access-date=2021-09-28 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112124420/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/15/false-comparison-between-last-summers-protests-what-happened-capitol/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Forgrave |first=Reid |date=2021-02-20 |title=George Floyd protests gave him purpose. But Third Precinct arson plea comes with a price |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-protests-gave-him-purpose-but-third-precinct-arson-plea-comes-with-a-price/600025528/ |access-date=2021-02-20 |archive-date=November 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104135821/https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-protests-gave-him-purpose-but-third-precinct-arson-plea-comes-with-a-price/600025528/ |url-status=live }} Analysis of state and federal criminal charges, however, found that disorganized crowds had no single goal or affiliation, many opportunist crowds amassed spontaneously during periods of lawlessness, and that people causing destruction had contradictory motives for their actions.{{Cite web |last=Mannix |first=Andy |date=2020-12-20 |title=Court records, FBI contradict Trump's claims of organized 'antifa-led' riots in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death |url=https://www.startribune.com/court-records-fbi-contradict-trump-s-claims-of-organized-antifa-led-riots-in-minneapolis-after-georg/573438811/ |url-status=live |access-date=2020-12-21 |website=Star Tribune |archive-date=November 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104083914/https://www.startribune.com/court-records-fbi-contradict-trump-s-claims-of-organized-antifa-led-riots-in-minneapolis-after-georg/573438811/ }}

Major areas of civic unrest in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, May 27–29, 2020:

image:Minneapolis Civil Unrest - East Lake Street.svg|East Lake Street in Minneapolis

image:Saint Paul Civil Unrest - University Avenue West.svg|University Avenue West, in Saint Paul

image:Minneapolis Civil Unrest - Nicollet Avenue.svg|Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis

File:George Floyd Damage From Protest On Southside of Minneapolis.webm|Scenes of protests and looting in Minneapolis, May 28, 2020

File:Some scenes from Minneapolis this morning. Domino’s burned, National Guard arrives in 3rd precinct, citizens put out a fire, Ivy Building For The Arts on fire, maX it PAWN on fire..webm|Scenes of fires and destruction in Minneapolis, May 29, 2020

File:Remembering_George_Floyd_at_Chicago_and_38th_(50024293836).jpg, June 19, 2020]]

{{Main|George Floyd Square occupied protest|}}

George Floyd protests first emerged on May 26, 2020, at the East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection where he was murdered the day prior. Residents and activists transformed the street intersection into a memorial site with public art of Floyd and of other racial justice themes. Some activists also held several blocks around the intersection in an occupation protest. The memorial site and occupation of the area was referred to as George Floyd Square{{Cite web|last=Burks|first=Megan|date=2020-12-11|title=George Floyd's Square offers an alternative to police — though not all neighbors want one|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/11/george-floyds-square-offers-an-alternative-to-police-though-not-all-neighbors-want-one|access-date=2020-12-16|website=MPR News|archive-date=January 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105143344/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/12/11/george-floyds-square-offers-an-alternative-to-police-though-not-all-neighbors-want-one|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Schuman|first=David|date=2021-01-25|title='We Look At Our Protest As Art': Future Of George Floyd Square Becoming Clearer|work=WCCO|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/01/07/we-look-at-our-protest-as-art-future-of-george-floyd-square-becoming-clearer/|url-status=live|access-date=January 26, 2021|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110011450/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/01/07/we-look-at-our-protest-as-art-future-of-george-floyd-square-becoming-clearer/}} and it became a "continuous site of protest"{{Cite news|last=Hendricks|first=Trisha|date=2021-04-25|title=ASU professor creates 'George Floyd Square' documentary|work=12 News KPNX.|url=https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/asu-professor-creates-george-floyd-square-documentary/75-065b08aa-b496-4c95-aecb-a1138652cb88|access-date=2021-05-19|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425215057/https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/asu-professor-creates-george-floyd-square-documentary/75-065b08aa-b496-4c95-aecb-a1138652cb88|url-status=live}} and thousands of people from multiple countries visited it.{{Cite news|last=Buncombe|first=Andrew|date=2021-05-07|title=What will happen to the George Floyd memorial – and all the others of Black men killed by Minneapolis police?|work=Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/george-floyd-memorial-what-will-happen-b1843458.html|access-date=2021-05-19|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084624/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/george-floyd-memorial-what-will-happen-b1843458.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Paul |date=2021-05-18 |title=Celebration of life planned at George Floyd Square to mark year since he was killed by Minneapolis police |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/celebration-of-life-planned-at-george-floyd-square-to-mark-year-since-he-was-killed-by-minneapolis-p/600058500/ |access-date=2021-05-18 |archive-date=May 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525211618/https://www.startribune.com/celebration-of-life-planned-at-george-floyd-square-to-mark-year-since-he-was-killed-by-minneapolis-p/600058500/ |url-status=live }} City crews removed cement barricades at the intersection on June 3, 2021, as part of a phased reopening process{{Cite news|last1=Winter|first1=Deena|last2=Bogel-Burroughs|first2=Nicholas|last3=Gross|first3=Jenny|date=2021-06-03|title=Minneapolis Removes Memorials and Barricades From 'George Floyd Square'|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/us/george-floyd-memorial-minneapolis.html|access-date=2021-06-03|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603203920/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/us/george-floyd-memorial-minneapolis.html|url-status=live}} and vehicular traffic resumed several weeks later on June 20, 2021.{{Cite news|last=Griswold|first=David|date=2021-06-20|title=Traffic resumes at George Floyd Square|work=KARE-TV|url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/traffic-resumes-at-george-floyd-square/89-8c7d1e73-b8a7-422d-b459-027659f36a9b|access-date=2021-06-21|archive-date=July 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711093220/https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/traffic-resumes-at-george-floyd-square/89-8c7d1e73-b8a7-422d-b459-027659f36a9b|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=2021-06-20|title=George Floyd Square, Uptown Intersection Reopen To Traffic|work=WCCO-TV|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/06/20/george-floyd-square-and-minneapolis-uptown-intersection-at-center-of-protests-reopen-to-traffic/|access-date=2021-06-21|archive-date=June 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621001610/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/06/20/george-floyd-square-and-minneapolis-uptown-intersection-at-center-of-protests-reopen-to-traffic/|url-status=live}} The controversial protest movement at George Floyd Square persisted after the city's streetway re-opening process into 2023.{{Cite news|last=Noma|first=Shosuke|date=2022-01-05|title=Kim Potter found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter|work=The Mac Weekly|url=https://themacweekly.com/80561/news/kim-potter-found-guilty-of-first-and-second-degree-manslaughter/|access-date=2022-01-05|archive-date=January 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106053434/https://themacweekly.com/80561/news/kim-potter-found-guilty-of-first-and-second-degree-manslaughter/|url-status=live}}

{{Main|2020–2023 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest|}}

After the initial wave of unrest, protesters continued to seek justice for Floyd and made broader calls to address structural racism in Minnesota, with many protest events part of the larger Black Lives Matter movement. National Public Radio described the protest period in the months after Floyd's murder as the "summer of racial reckoning".{{Cite news|last1=Chang|first1=Ailsa|author-link=Ailsa Chang |last2=Martin|first2=Rachael |last3=Marrapodi|first3=Eric |date=2020-08-19|title=Summer Of Racial Reckoning|work=National Public Radio|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/08/16/902179773/summer-of-racial-reckoning-the-match-lit|access-date=2021-05-23|archive-date=January 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111203134/https://www.npr.org/2020/08/16/902179773/summer-of-racial-reckoning-the-match-lit|url-status=live}} A columnist for The European Conservative referred to it as "the long hot summer of 2020", a nod to the long, hot summer of 1967.{{Cite news|author=|date=2020-06-05|title=Minneapolis' 'Long, Hot Summer' of '67 – and the Parallels to Today's Protests|work=U.S. News & World Report|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-06-05/minneapolis-long-hot-summer-of-67-and-the-parallels-to-todays-protests-over-police-brutality|access-date=2021-05-24|archive-date=May 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524124950/https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-06-05/minneapolis-long-hot-summer-of-67-and-the-parallels-to-todays-protests-over-police-brutality|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Issue 17|first=21 August 2020 Opinion|date=2020-08-21|title=The Long Hot Summer of 2020|url=https://europeanconservative.com/2020/08/the-long-hot-summer-of-2020/|url-status=dead|access-date=2021-05-28|publisher=The European Conservative|language=en-US|archive-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616172122/https://europeanconservative.com/2020/08/the-long-hot-summer-of-2020/}}{{Cite journal|last=Landis|first=Christopher|date=2020-08-21|title=The Long Hot Summer of 2020|url=https://europeanconservative.com/2020/08/the-long-hot-summer-of-2020/|journal=The European Conservative|volume=3|issue=17|access-date=May 28, 2021|archive-date=June 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210616172122/https://europeanconservative.com/2020/08/the-long-hot-summer-of-2020/|url-status=dead}} Law enforcement killings resulted in protests and intermittent civil disorder throughout 2020, 2021, and 2022.{{Cite news|last=Cordero|first=Christiane|date=2021-07-08|title=Another Night Of Unrest In Uptown|work=WCCO-TV|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/07/08/another-night-of-unrest-in-uptown/?taid=60e6e8d0b9a11500017c0b78|access-date=2021-07-08|archive-date=July 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708120251/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2021/07/08/another-night-of-unrest-in-uptown/?taid=60e6e8d0b9a11500017c0b78|url-status=live}}Forgrave{{cite news|last=Forgrave|first=Reid|date=6 July 2020|title=Remembering Philando Castile, four years later: 'We got strength in numbers now'|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/remembering-philando-castile-four-years-later-we-got-strength-in-numbers-now/571653352/|access-date=November 9, 2021|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107230509/https://www.startribune.com/remembering-philando-castile-four-years-later-we-got-strength-in-numbers-now/571653352/|url-status=live}} Protests also led to a local police abolition movement. A political campaign to amend the Minneapolis city's charter to replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety continued in 2020 and 2021, but the City Question 2 ballot initiate was ultimate rejected by voters.{{Cite news |last1=Du |first1=Susan |last2=Navratil |first2=Liz |date=2021-04-30 |title=Vote Yes 4 Minneapolis submits petition to remove MPD from charter |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/vote-yes-4-minneapolis-submits-petition-to-remove-mpd-from-charter/600052192/ |access-date=2021-04-30 |archive-date=May 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509090318/https://www.startribune.com/vote-yes-4-minneapolis-submits-petition-to-remove-mpd-from-charter/600052192/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=2021-11-02 |title=Minneapolis voters reject plan to overhaul city policing |work=Minnesota Public Radio |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/11/02/minneapolis-police-ballot-vote |access-date=2021-11-02 |archive-date=November 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115030316/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/11/02/minneapolis-police-ballot-vote |url-status=live }}

File:Justice for George Floyd March (51127293312).jpg

{{Main|Protests in Minneapolis regarding the trial of Derek Chauvin}}

In 2020 and 2021, several protests were held in Minneapolis that coincided with judicial proceedings and the criminal trial of Derek Chauvin.{{Cite web|last=Montemayor|first=Stephen|date=2020-12-15|title=State officials urge keeping fence around State Capitol well into 2021|url=https://www.startribune.com/state-officials-urge-keeping-fence-around-state-capitol-well-into-2021/573401251/|access-date=2020-12-16|website=Star Tribune|archive-date=May 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523204604/https://www.startribune.com/state-officials-urge-keeping-fence-around-state-capitol-well-into-2021/573401251/|url-status=live}} Local government officials surrounded the Hennepin County Government Center, a downtown Minneapolis courthouse and local government office building, that was the venue for the proceedings with a temporary concrete barrier, metal fencing, and barbed wire in anticipation of civil disorder.{{Cite news|last1=Jackson|first1=Zoë|last2=Forgrave|first2=Reid Forgrave|last3=Du|first3=Susan|date=March 9, 2021|title=Peaceful protesters march in Minneapolis as Derek Chauvin trial in George Floyd's death slowed by legal wrangling|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/peaceful-protesters-march-in-minneapolis-as-derek-chauvin-trial-in-george-floyd-s-death-slowed-by-le/600031760/|url-status=live|access-date=March 9, 2021|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308235812/https://www.startribune.com/peaceful-protesters-march-in-minneapolis-as-derek-chauvin-trial-in-george-floyd-s-death-slowed-by-le/600031760/}} Demonstrations grew in size during Chauvin's criminal trial that commenced on March 8, 2021, and concluded on April 19, 2021. The court announced a guilty verdict on April 20, 2021, and several marches and rallies took place afterwards.{{Cite news|last=Mannix|first=Andy|date=2021-04-20|title=Minneapolis streets erupt in elation over guilty verdicts for Derek Chauvin|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-streets-erupt-in-elation-over-guilty-verdicts-for-derek-chauvin/600048215/|access-date=2021-04-20|archive-date=April 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421034641/https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-streets-erupt-in-elation-over-guilty-verdicts-for-derek-chauvin/600048215/|url-status=live}}

Some activists in Minneapolis who were compelled to action by Floyd's murder stated that Chauvin's guilty verdict in April 2021 would not be the end their protest movement. Protests at the conclusion Chauvin's criminal case featured chants of the mantra, "One down, three to go".{{Cite news|last1=Norfleet|first1=Nicole|last2=Forgrave|first2=Reid|date=2021-06-26|title=Derek Chauvin's sentencing sparks relief but also resolve to keep fighting injustice|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/derek-chauvin-s-sentencing-sparks-relief-but-also-resolve-to-keep-fighting-injustice/600072205/|access-date=2021-06-26|archive-date=June 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626135011/https://www.startribune.com/derek-chauvin-s-sentencing-sparks-relief-but-also-resolve-to-keep-fighting-injustice/600072205/|url-status=live}} Alexander, Lane, and Thao{{Em dash}}the other three officers at the scene of Floyd's murder{{Em dash}}awaited a federal civil rights trial in and a state criminal trial for aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. Activists believed that justice over Floyd's murder included holding all four officers legally accountable, as well as having policy makers address what they perceived as systemic racism in policing.{{Cite news|title=After the Chauvin verdict, Minneapolis activists fuel up and prepare for the long fight ahead|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/25/chauvin-minneapolis-activists-fight-continues/|access-date=2021-05-17|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426132530/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/25/chauvin-minneapolis-activists-fight-continues/|url-status=live}}

Several activists pledged to continue protesting until the conclusion of the criminal trials and the civil case against the police officers at the scene of Floyd's murder.{{Cite news|last=Ismail|first=Aymann|date=2021-04-20|title=When the Verdict Came Down|work=Slate|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/george-floyd-verdict-minneapolis-square-reaction.html|access-date=2021-04-20|archive-date=July 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711181854/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/04/george-floyd-verdict-minneapolis-square-reaction.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|author=|date=2021-05-23|title='Convicting Chauvin is not enough': Leaders urge reform at rally marking 1 year since George Floyd's death|work=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-floyd-memorial-foundation-rally-march-watch-live-stream-today-2021-05-23/|access-date=2021-05-24|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107082630/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-floyd-memorial-foundation-rally-march-watch-live-stream-today-2021-05-23/|url-status=live}}

File:Common, Sound of Blackness George Floyd Square May 25, 2021 (51206377440).jpgSeveral events were held in conjunction with the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder. The George Floyd Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Floyd's family, planned marches and rallies in Minneapolis, New York, and Houston for May 23, 2021, and called for two days of virtual activism everywhere in the United States in support of federal police reform legislation.{{Cite web|last=WTVD|date=2021-05-20|title=Remembrance plans released for 1-year anniversary of George Floyd's death|url=https://abc11.com/10667517/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=ABC11 Raleigh-Durham|language=en|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110151018/https://abc11.com/george-floyd-one-year-anniversary-memorial-celebration-of-life/10667517/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Haavik|first=Emily|date=2021-05-20|title='God always gives me the strength': George Floyd's sister reflects on one year since his murder|url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/george-floyd-sister-speaks-murder-anniversary/89-1a1d5b42-05ec-4b02-b7bd-2e615a9f187f|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-20|website=KARE-11|language=en-US|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110170129/https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/george-floyd-sister-speaks-murder-anniversary/89-1a1d5b42-05ec-4b02-b7bd-2e615a9f187f}}{{Cite news|last=Bragg|first=Ndea Yancey|date=2021-05-20|title='We will celebrate my brother's life': George Floyd's family to hold rallies, marches for one-year anniversary of his death|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/05/20/george-floyd-anniversary-events-planned-minneapolis-houston-nyc/5181874001/|access-date=2021-05-21|archive-date=October 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003020932/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/05/20/george-floyd-anniversary-events-planned-minneapolis-houston-nyc/5181874001/|url-status=live}}

On May 23, 2021, the Floyd family and civil rights activists led a rally in downtown Minneapolis outside the Hennepin County Government Center building, which was still fortified by fencing installed for the Chauvin trial that concluded a month earlier. Bridgett Floyd, who was George's sister, Al Sharpton, Floyd family Attorney Benjamin Crump were among those who spoke to the crowd of several hundred people. Activists who spoke hoped that Floyd's murder, which had been a catalyst for changing policing policies in the United States, would result in passage of police reform legislation and examination of other officer-involved killings. U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter attended the events. A crowd marched through downtown Minneapolis after the rally.{{Cite news|last=Bierschbach|first=Briana|date=2021-05-23|title=Families, civil rights leaders reflect on one year since George Floyd's killing|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/families-civil-rights-leaders-reflect-on-one-year-since-george-floyd-s-killing/600060500/|access-date=May 24, 2021|archive-date=May 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524033914/https://www.startribune.com/families-civil-rights-leaders-reflect-on-one-year-since-george-floyd-s-killing/600060500/|url-status=live}}

On May 25, 2021, downtown Minneapolis hosted a "George Floyd Inaugural Remembrance: Celebration Of Life" concert, and several events were held at the East 38th and Chicago Avenue street intersection where he was killed.{{Cite news|last=Sanberg|first=Diane|date=2021-05-25|title=One year after his death, the Twin Cities remember George Floyd with celebrations and somber reflection|work=KARE-TV|url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/george-floyd-events-one-year-later-minneapolis/89-b993927b-457e-4ff2-b1cc-7d12fa3e6c1e|access-date=2021-05-25}} Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared a statewide moment of silence for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, the length of time Chauvin knelt on Floyd, for 1:00 p.m. Said Walz, "George Floyd's murder ignited a global movement and awakened many Minnesotans and people around the world to the systemic racism that our Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color have known for centuries".{{Cite news|last=Jacobsen|first=Jeremiah|date=2020-05-24|title=Statewide moment of silence planned Tuesday on anniversary of George Floyd's death|work=KARE-11|url=https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/george-floyd/moment-of-silence-on-anniversary-of-george-floyds-death/89-68fcf42d-4f1e-4571-8d18-eec5a28a8b90|access-date=2020-05-24}}

File:Warren E. Burger Federal Building (51840843114).jpg

In early 2022, local officials prepared counter-protest measures and for potential unrest ahead of the January 20 schedule start of the federal civil rights trial of Kueng, Lane, and Thao. Officials erected security fencing around the Warren E. Burger Federal Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that contained the courtroom for the trial.{{cite news|last=Galioto|first=Katie|date=2021-12-04|title=St. Paul to host federal civil rights trial for ex-Minneapolis cops in Floyd's death|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-case-st-paul-court-federal-civil-rights-trial-for-ex-minneapolis-cops/600123865/|access-date=2021-12-04|archive-date=December 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206142013/https://www.startribune.com/george-floyd-case-st-paul-court-federal-civil-rights-trial-for-ex-minneapolis-cops/600123865/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=2022-01-04|title=Fence erected around St. Paul federal courthouse ahead of former Minneapolis officers' trial|work=KSTP-TV|url=https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/fence-erected-around-st-paul-federal-courthouse-ahead-of-former-minneapolis-officers-trial/6348924/|access-date=2022-01-04|archive-date=January 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105161416/https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/fence-erected-around-st-paul-federal-courthouse-ahead-of-former-minneapolis-officers-trial/6348924/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|date=2022-01-06|title=3 other cops in George Floyd death to stand trial this month|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/3-other-cops-george-floyd-death-trial-january/600133262/|access-date=2022-01-06|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107151009/https://www.startribune.com/3-other-cops-george-floyd-death-trial-january/600133262/|url-status=dead}} Protest demonstrations were held in the streets surrounding the courtroom building during the trial.{{cite news|last=Barrett|first=Joe|date=2022-01-03|title=Minneapolis Area Prepares for Another Trial Over George Floyd's Killing|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/twin-cities-george-floyd-trial-11641161583|access-date=2022-01-13|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=January 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113161555/https://www.wsj.com/articles/twin-cities-george-floyd-trial-11641161583|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Arango|first=Tim|date=2022-01-24|title=Trial Starts for 3 Officers in George Floyd's Death|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/01/24/us/police-officers-trial-george-floyd|access-date=2022-01-25|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127131944/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/01/24/us/police-officers-trial-george-floyd|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Ajasa|first=Amudalat|date=2022-01-24|title=Trial begins of three ex-police officers present at George Floyd murder|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/24/trial-george-floyd-murder-minneapolis-three-ex-police-officers|access-date=2022-01-24|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126035236/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/24/trial-george-floyd-murder-minneapolis-three-ex-police-officers|url-status=live}} On February 24, 2022, Kueng, Lane, and Thao were convicted on all federal civil rights charges they faced at trial. A small group of protesters gathered outside the court building in Saint Paul and at the location in Minneapolis where Floyd was murdered while the verdict was read.{{Cite news|date=2022-02-24|title=3 ex-cops convicted of rights violations in George Floyd killing|work=CNBC|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/3-ex-cops-convicted-of-civil-rights-violations-in-george-floyd-killing-.html|access-date=2022-02-24|archive-date=February 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225192333/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/24/3-ex-cops-convicted-of-civil-rights-violations-in-george-floyd-killing-.html|url-status=live}}

File:Say Their Names Memorial May 25 2022.jpg

Several events in Minneapolis were held in conjunction with the second anniversary of Floyd's murder on May 25, 2022. The events, referred to as the Day of Racial Reckoning Assembly, promoted racial justice and healing. At George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, city officials unveiled a commemorative "George Perry Floyd Square" street sign. In the evening, about three dozen protesters gathered outside the Minnesota governor's residence in Saint Paul to demand police reform and systemic change.{{Cite news |last1=Rao |first1=Maya |last2=Mahamud |first2=Faiza |last3=Du |first3=Susan |date=2022-05-25 |title=Two years later, Minnesotans gather to remember George Floyd |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/two-years-later-minnesotans-gather-to-remember-george-floyd/600176411/ |access-date=2022-05-26 |archive-date=May 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526125840/https://www.startribune.com/two-years-later-minnesotans-gather-to-remember-george-floyd/600176411/ |url-status=live }} A group of demonstrators marched on East Lake Street in Minneapolis on May 28, 2022, to mark the second anniversary of the burning of the city's third police precinct building. Demonstrators lit off fireworks, spray painted graffiti messages, and set several shopping carts on fire.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=This Is America #168: Fight to Save People's Park in Berkeley, Oakland School Occupied, Hunger Strikes at ICE Prison in Tacoma |url=https://itsgoingdown.org/this-is-america-168/ |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=It's Going Down |language=en-US |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609063314/https://itsgoingdown.org/this-is-america-168/ |url-status=live }}

On May 18, 2022, Lane pleaded guilty to the charge of aiding and abetting manslaughter, in exchange for which another charge of aiding and abetting second-degree murder was dismissed. He thus avoided a trial.{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Rochelle |date=2022-05-18 |title=Ex-MPD officer Thomas Lane pleads guilty to manslaughter charge for role in George Floyd's murder |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/ex-mpd-officer-thomas-lane-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-charge-for-role-in-george-floyds-murder/600174315/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518200735/https://www.startribune.com/ex-mpd-officer-thomas-lane-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-charge-for-role-in-george-floyds-murder/600174315/ |url-status=live }}

Jury selection for the state criminal trial of Kueng and Thao was scheduled to begin on October 24, 2022. Unlike Chauvin's criminal trial and the civil rights trial of the other three officers at the scene of Floyd's death, the proceedings were not live-streamed, and officials did not surround the courtroom building with barbed-wire fencing or National Guard troops.{{Cite news |last=Hyatt |first=Kim |date=2022-10-23 |title=State trial begins for two ex-MPD officers over role in George Floyd's murder |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/state-trial-begins-for-two-former-mpd-officers-over-role-in-george-floyds-murder/600218407/ |access-date=2022-10-24 |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024141937/https://www.startribune.com/state-trial-begins-for-two-former-mpd-officers-over-role-in-george-floyds-murder/600218407/ |url-status=live }} A few hours before the proceedings were to begin, Kueng pleaded guilty to the criminal state charges of aiding and abetting manslaughter with a recommendation of 42 months in prison.{{Cite news |last=Hutchinson |first=Bill |date=2022-10-24 |title=Former police officer J. Alexander Kueng pleads guilty in George Floyd death case |work=ABC News |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-floyd-death-back-spotlight-trial-begins-cops/story?id=91952769 |access-date=2022-10-24 |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024145753/https://abcnews.go.com/US/george-floyd-death-back-spotlight-trial-begins-cops/story?id=91952769 |url-status=live }} Thao waived his right to a jury trial, instead choosing a trial by stipulated evidence in which the judge would review the evidence and issue a verdict.{{Cite news |last=Hyatt |first=Kim |date=2022-10-24 |title=Kueng pleads guilty to state charges in George Floyd killing; Thao agrees to let judge decide his case |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/in-about-face-one-of-two-ex-officers-pleads-guilty-to-his-role-in-killing-of-george-floyd/600218526/ |access-date=2022-10-24 |archive-date=October 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024170802/https://www.startribune.com/in-about-face-one-of-two-ex-officers-pleads-guilty-to-his-role-in-killing-of-george-floyd/600218526/ |url-status=live }} On May 2, 2023, Thao was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter. The conviction fulfilled a key demand of protesters: that all four Minneapolis police officers be held legally accountable for murdering George Floyd.

• 2020–2023 United States racial unrest
• 2020 Minneapolis homeless encampments
• George Floyd protests in Minnesota
• History of Minneapolis
• List of civil unrest in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
• Police brutality in the United States

{{Reflist}}

• Ambrus, Muriel. "Contextualizing Resistance in Minneapolis Post-George Floyd: Race, Class, and the Paradox of ‘Nice’." Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities 12.1 (2023): 4+ [https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1207&context=tapestries online].

• Boehme, Hunter M., Robert J. Kaminski, and Melissa S. Nolan. "City-wide firearm violence spikes in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd: A comparative time-series analysis of three cities." Urban Science 6.1 (2022): 16+ [https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/6/1/16/pdf online].

• Diavolo, L. [https://www.teenvogue.com/story/george-floyd-minneapolis-rebellion-so-far-according-to-people-living-it "The Minneapolis Rebellion So Far, According to the People Living It"], Teen Vogue, 1 June 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
• Gramlich, Jack Post. "Are police obsolete in Minneapolis? Racial capitalism and police abolition." Social Science Quarterly 102.7 (2021): 3149-3157. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13089
• Henderson, Janet. "Police Officers’ Perspectives on the Death of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officers: A Descriptive Study." (Doctoral dissertation, Abilene Christian University, 2023). [https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1700&context=etd online]

• {{Cite journal|last1=Kaske|first1=Erika A.|last2=Cramer|first2=Samuel W.|last3=Pena Pino|first3=Isabela|last4=Do|first4=Truong H.|last5=Ladd|first5=Bryan M.|last6=Sturtevant|first6=Dylan T.|last7=Ahmadi|first7=Aliya|last8=Taha|first8=Birra|last9=Freeman|first9=David|last10=Wu|first10=Joel T.|last11=Cunningham|first11=Brooke A.|date=2021-01-13|title=Injuries from Less-Lethal Weapons during the George Floyd Protests in Minneapolis|journal=The New England Journal of Medicine|volume=384|issue=8|pages=774–775|language=en|doi=10.1056/NEJMc2032052|pmid=33440082|issn=0028-4793|ref=none|doi-access=free}}

• Kwant, Teri, and Tom Borrup. "Placehealing in Minneapolis: Before and After the Murder of George Floyd." in Trauma Informed Placemaking (Routledge, 2024) pp.153–165.

• Navratil, L., A. Boone, and J. Shiffer, [https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-third-precinct-george-floyd-emails-public-records-reveal-what-happened-before-abandoned-mayor-frey/566290701/ "The siege, evacuation and destruction of a Minneapolis police station"], Star Tribune, 11 August 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2022.

• {{cite news |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/six-months-after-george-floyds-death-what-has-changed-in-minneapolis |title=Six months after George Floyd's death, what has changed in Minneapolis |work=PBS NewsHour |date=25 November 2020}} Retrieved December 28, 2022.

• Robinson, N. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/06/george-floyd-protesters-in-their-own-words "In their own words: the protesters at the heart of America's uprising"], The Guardian, 6 June 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
• Rome, A. "[https://www.hamptonthink.org/read/the-minneapolis-uprising-and-the-heavy-stick-of-reaction The Minneapolis Uprising and the Heavy Stick of Reaction]", Hampton Think, June 2, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2022.

• Smiles, Deondre. "George Floyd, Minneapolis, and spaces of hope and liberation." Dialogues in human geography 11.2 (2021): 165-169. [https://www.academia.edu/download/114023640/20438206211027466.pdf online]

• United States Department of Justice. Investigation of the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department (United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and United States Attorney’s Office District of Minnesota Civil Division, 2023). [https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-06/minneapolis_findings_report.pdf online]

{{Commons}}

• [https://bringmethenews.com/tag/minneapolis-riots Bring Me The News: Minneapolis Riots]
• [http://cityoflakes.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d1e6019996cc4dff9f48751fff322e84 City of Minneapolis Office of Emergency Management: Properties damaged during civil unrest, initial report, June 11, 2020]
• [https://hennepinhistory.org/reading/ Hennepin History Museum: Reading the Minneapolis Uprising]
• [https://video.startribune.com/aerial-video-of-minneapolis-shows-aftermath-of-rioting-looting/571107982/ Star Tribune: Video aftermath of rioting, looting (10 June 2020)]
• [https://mappingprejudice.umn.edu/resources-uprising/index.html University of Minnesota Libraries: The Minneapolis Uprising] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212193209/https://mappingprejudice.umn.edu/resources-uprising/index.html |date=December 12, 2021 }}

{{George Floyd protests}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:George Floyd protests in Minneapolis-Saint Paul}}

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