Brooklyn Center Issues Last-Minute Curfew, 100 Protesters Arrested Friday Night
UPDATE (8:00 a.m. Saturday): Authorities say around 100 people were taken into custody Friday night, after protesters approached and breached the outer fence surrounding the Brooklyn Center police building.
Though roughly 100 people were arrested, it's unknown how many are still in custody on Saturday morning. No charges have been announced.
It was one of the largest crowds that gathered since the police killing of Daunte Wright. Earlier in the night, ministers were praying over the crowd, and there was no display of fireworks, no throwing of rocks and bricks.
However, around 9:30 p.m. when the fence was breached, flash bangs and tear gas went off.
WCCO Reporter Reg Chapman says that he was forced to get on the ground, along with other WCCO journalists. Their credentials were checked and pictures were taken before they were released.
During a midnight press conference, authorities from Operation Safety Net showed some of the things brought in by protesters, including river rocks thrown at authorities, soup cans, oil, even little eggs filled with paint.
Authorities said they did not want to use any force. Protesters said they gathered at Brooklyn Center to demand change, and didn't want to throw bricks and rocks. It was a small handful of people who caused the chaos which led to multiple people being arrested.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Crowds were back on the streets Friday night protesting the police-shooting death of Daunte Wright, and a predominately peaceful night suddenly turned after one of the fences surrounding the police building was momentarily breached.
At the police department in Brooklyn Center, an estimated thousand protesters gathered. There was originally supposed to be no curfew issued for the city Friday night, but the city ended up issuing a last-minute mayoral emergency proclamation imposing a city curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
IMPORTANT: The city of @BrklynCenterMN has issued a mayoral emergency proclamation imposing a citywide curfew starting at 11:00 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2021 until 6:00 a.m. Saturday, April 17, 2021.
— Minnesota OSN (@MinnesotaOSN) April 17, 2021
Roughly around 9:30 p.m., the outer fence surrounding the building was breached, which was then followed by reports of deployment of flash grenades and chemical irritant. Officials say the fence perimeter was quickly reinstated.
Just before 10 p.m., law enforcement on the scene called for a dispersal order. Soon thereafter, National Guard soldiers moved into the area, and a number of protesters were taken into custody, WCCO's Reg Chapman reports.
A U.S. District Judge, earlier Friday evening, ruled that the Minnesota State Patrol was not allowed to arrest, threaten to arrest or use physical force against journalists, after the ACLU filed a motion asking for a temporary restraining order to stop law enforcement from targeting reporters.
For six nights in row now, people have been protesting the death of Duante Wright at the hands of a former Brooklyn Center police officer. She shot and killed him during a traffic stop on Sunday. She has since been charged with second-degree manslaughter.
A group marched near the Brooklyn Center police station earlier Friday, chanting the names of other Black Americans killed by police. They eventually made their way back to the station and gathered around the barriers surrounding the building.
Right now, more than 3,000 soldiers are helping law enforcement respond to the Daunte Wright shooting and the Derek Chauvin trial.
This evening, people also gathered to pay their respects to Wright at the place where he died. Some added flowers to the growing memorial that now stands in the spot where an officer shot Wright inside his car.
Another vigil happened about an hour earlier in Columbia Heights, where Wright used to attend high school. Students and community members gathered at a park to listen to speakers and walk in silence in his honor.