Hundreds of protestors march through Minneapolis after police shooting of Amir Locke

[riversedge]

Source: the hill




By Brad Dress - 02/05/22 10:59 PM EST

© Associated Press

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday to protest following the police shooting of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by police during an early morning no-knock warrant raid on Wednesday.

Protesters stood outside the Hennepin County Government Center and demanded Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's (D) resignation, CBS Minnesota reported. They also pushed for the firing and prosecution of Minneapolis police officer Mark Hanneman, who fatally shot Locke.

Videos circulated on Twitter showed crowds of people gathering together and chanting "Amir Locke!" while holding up signs with his name scrawled on them. Cars were backed up on some roads as protesters marched in the streets.

Locke was apparently asleep in an apartment in downtown Minneapolis when the police department's SWAT team, conducting a no-knock warrant raid for the St. Paul Police Department's homicide unit, entered the apartment around 6:48 a.m., shouting "Police!" and "Get on the ground!"

Body-worn camera footage released on Thursday showed Locke wrapped in a white blanket as police converged on his position on the couch. Locke then got up and appeared to be shot multiple times..........................................................................................................

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/593003-hundreds-of-protestors-march-through-minneapolis-after-police-shooting

---

?itok=Cgzi74GS
Hundreds of protestors march through Minneapolis after police shooting of Amir Locke

[riversedge]

1. " Across Minneapolis, the sense of deja vu was palpable." Mpls Star Tribune...............

Protest of police killing of Amir Locke draws hundreds to Minneapolis
The city is once again mired in a bitter conversation about race, policing and no-knock warrants. The moment — the grieving, the outrage, the questions — exacerbated feelings of dread and exhaustion.
By Katie Galioto, Susan Du and Rochelle Olson Star Tribune
February 5, 2022 — 9:47pm


https://www.startribune.com/protest-of-police-killing-of-amir-locke-draws-hundreds-to-minneapolis/600143527/


Gallery
Grid
1/25
Andre Locke, father of Amir Locke, becomes emotional as he speaks during a protest at the Hennepin County Government Center in reaction to the recent
Renee Jones Schneider, Star Tribune




?w=525&h=350&format=auto%2Ccompress&cs=tinysrgb&auto=compress&crop=faces&dpr=1&fit=fill&fill=solid&fill-color=e8e8e8
Gallery: Andre Locke, father of Amir Locke, becomes emotional as he speaks during a protest at the Hennepin County Government Center in reaction to the recent shooting death of Amir Locke by Minneapolis Police.


Across Minneapolis, the sense of deja vu was palpable.

Three days after a Minneapolis police officer fatally shot 22-year-old Amir Locke while executing an unrelated search warrant, the city found itself once again mired in a bitter conversation about race, policing and no-knock warrants. The moment — the grieving, the outrage, the questions — exacerbated feelings of dread and exhaustion in a place that has been trying to rebuild and reform itself since the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.

"It's just so tragic and unnecessary and continues to happen," said Allison Schutte of Plymouth, who bundled up with her husband and three young children for a Saturday afternoon protest of Locke's death in the bitter cold.

Hundreds gathered Saturday outside Minneapolis City Hall and the Hennepin County Government Center with signs and chants calling for the firing and prosecution of officers present for the shooting, the resignation of Mayor Jacob Frey and a permanent ban on no-knock warrants.

"I'm hurt, devastated," said Bernadette Gillum, 62, who has lived in north Minneapolis for 30 years. "I am so ready to leave the city. I'm afraid here — not only for me, but anybody of color."

She stepped off the bus at the corner across from Bolero Flats, where Locke was killed in a relative's apartment. Someone had painted his name across the façade of the Minnesota Orchestra building...............................

[AverageOldGuy]

2. I know this comment will make no difference . . .

. . . but Ill make the comment anyway.

Watch the video and listen carefully to the cops as they enter the place.

YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND ONE WORD THEY ARE SAYING.

The cops will claim they identified themselves -- and they did -- but they identified themselves by shouting, shrieking at the tops of their voice, several of them screaming at the same time and you cannot understand a word they are saying.

It's the same way with every entry by police -- shrieking at the top of their lungs, many of them shouting at the same time.

If I were lying on my sofa, asleep, and my door burst open a a crowd of thugs rushed in shrieking and screaming, goddam if I wouldn't come up with a gun in my hand, too.

[JohnSJ]

5. Yes, but wasn't the main problem two fold. I thought one that this was a no knock warrant, and

two, it was the wrong house.

[Bengus81]

13. Huh? Wrong house? It was an apartment and I've never read it was the wrong address

[KatK]

3. We are heartsick and enraged here in Minneapolis

The feeling is much worse than déjà vu...

After the city charter amendment to for a Dept of Public Safety Dept failed to pass in November, we are organizing on all levels but the ranks have been exhausted, thinning and sometimes at odds with one another. May this unspeakable incident bring us together.

One way to support BIPOC in Minneapolis right now is to donate to Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence

[OldBaldy1701E]

4. So freaking glad I moved here!

[The Jungle 1]

6. This is just stupid

No knock warrants in the middle of the night are just plain stupid.
If Amir would have shot a cop he would be charged.
Why can't they just surround the place and demand everyone come out?
I think the cops just like to do the no knock

[mountain grammy]

8. Yep, just like on the teevee shows..

[monkeyman1]

11. shoot first & ask questions later!!

[SharonClark]

7. Police make "mistakes" and people die. I'm sick of this shit.

"Minneapolis police officer fatally shot 22-year-old Amir Locke while executing an unrelated search warrant".

The article paints Mayor Frey as a weak person who won't or can't stand up to the police. Police will go as far as they want when there are no enforced rules or repercussions.

[Jimvanhise]

9. Police are paranoid

I saw a rerun of The Closer where police raid a drug house and literally everyone in the house had a gun and opened up on the police. This is exactly what they think will happen on a no-knock raid, which is why they shoot first and ask questions later when in fact such gun battles rarely occur, especially when they raid the wrong house!

[llashram]

10. Amerika always

shoot first, ask questions later. If he was unarmed and turns out to be innocent. Definitely Amerika with him being African-American.

[electric_blue68]

12. Some combination of...

a bit of police paranoia, possibly itchy trigger finger, most likely a dose of racism plus ? killed this man who wasn't even a target of the warrant!

If you're not trained like a ?soldier to snap to, make a split second of assessing a situation if a pair or more of strangers come barrelling into where you're asleep, yelling, waving guns... maybe you don't realize they even are police right away.

Black People have to often live with these hair tripped wires of "stay still!" so you don't get shot in certain situations, and even that's no guarantee. 😔