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Minneapolis Police Clean Up, Assess Damage To 3rd Precinct After Violent Night Of George Floyd Protests

May 27, 2020 / 5:06 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For the second-straight day, protesters are gathered outside Minneapolis Police Department's 3rd Precinct in protest of the death of George Floyd, 46.

The precinct is where the four officers involved in the arrest attempt that took Floyd's life on Monday used to work.

The building, located near the intersection at Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, has been blocked by protesters since 2 p.m. Wednesday. Police are gearing up for another night of protests following a day of cleaning up the damage done to their station Tuesday night.

Rachel Rothering is the mom of 7-year-old Adrian and 8-year-old Blaine. She brought them to their first protest Wednesday.

"My gentleman last night, they decided that they're going to be the change, they're going to be the white men that stand up and say that this is not right," Rothering said. "We're not doing some homeschooling from home anymore. We're putting away the books and all the Zoom meetings, and we set all of that aside today because this is the art project they did today. This is the history lesson that we're going to be a part of today."

Street crews laid down a cement blockade in front of the precinct, and spent most of the early part of the afternoon power washing graffiti off the building from the protest the night before. But very quickly, Police went from cleaning up, to suiting up again in riot gear. Gina Courtney was among Wednesday's protesters.

"I'll be out here until I hear [the officer seen in bystander videos kneeling on Floyd's neck] is arrested," Courtney said. "And that's what I would expect from everybody else."

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo released a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying that he urges those who are gathering to do it peacefully. He said criminal behavior will not be tolerated.