歪歪漫画

MINNEAPOLIS 鈥撯�� A pandemic is sweeping through Minneapolis. The death total toppled over 1,000 on Saturday morning. But after the brutal death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, the coronavirus has been pushed to the back burner. Something more important matters now.

It started as a peaceful rally. But the longer it took for Chauvin to be arrested, the more frustrated the crowd became. The plea for justice has erupted into something the Twin Cities haven鈥檛 ever seen. It鈥檚 turned violent. Businesses were looted. Banks were burned.

On Saturday, Minnesota governor Tim Walz announced that he is fully mobilizing the state's National Guard in response for the first time in Minnesota history. It's the first time the Minnesota National Guard has been fully mobilized since World War II.

Walz pleaded for peace. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey demanded that the violence comes to an end.

This is what it looked like to be around Minneapolis from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

6:39 a.m.: Some black smoke was still slipping out of the Wells Fargo bank on Lake Street in Minneapolis. It had been ravaged by the flames overnight. Messages like, 鈥淜ill the cops,鈥� and 鈥淟et it burn鈥� were spraypainted onto the brick wall. What was once a window was now a charred black abyss.

7:00 a.m.: Just three police officers stand atop the Minneapolis Police Department鈥檚 5th Precinct. It鈥檚 peaceful now, but that could change later tonight after the protests turned violent in each of the last few nights.

10:29 a.m.: A tattered 鈥淏lack Lives Matter鈥� cardboard sign is on cardboard and taped to the front on a house on Columbus Avenue in South Minneapolis. It鈥檚 an omen to signify that they are united with the protesters.

11:11 a.m.: Hundreds of people have converged at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. A man approaches a woman and says, 鈥淲e should have each other鈥檚 phone numbers!鈥�

鈥淲ait, who are you?鈥� the woman questions.

鈥淚鈥檓 your neighbor,鈥� the man cheerfully responds.

鈥淥h sorry, the mask threw me off and I鈥檓 frazzled today.鈥�

She wasn't alone in that sentiment.

11:35 a.m.: Powderhorn Park was packed with a large group of Minneapolis residents in an effort to plan for neighborhood peacekeeping.

It was organized by Minneapolis Council Member Alondra Cano.

鈥淚 have not come here alone,鈥� the group sang together. 鈥淚f you listen, you can hear them in my soul.鈥�

Cano pleaded for the group to keep children and the elderly off of Lake Street throughout the day on Saturday and especially on Saturday night.

鈥淧lease take the vulnerable populations out of the Lake Street area,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淚 have a feeling things are going to spill into the neighborhood today, unlike they鈥檝e done in the past.鈥�

Cano also warned that the National Guard was likely going to be deployed in the streets.

鈥淚f that happens, the city council and mayor will have no purview, recourse or lines of communication.鈥�

Cano hoped that the residents would prepare spiritually what that might mean.

The neighbors split up into groups of 10 to discuss ways to properly defend themselves if the riots spread into their neighborhood.

1:03 p.m.: A group of six people 鈥� four women and two men 鈥� walked down Lake Street in Minneapolis to head to the area that was desolated by fires the night before. They were carrying shovels and brooms and cleaning materials to help their Minneapolis neighbors try to put their city back together.

2:01 p.m.: 鈥淲hat do we want?鈥�

鈥淛耻蝉迟颈肠别?鈥�

鈥淲hen do we want it?鈥�

鈥淣辞飞.鈥�

鈥淗ow are we going to get it?鈥�

"By any means necessary.鈥�

Dozens of people formed a crowd and chanted these phrases in front of the Floyd mural in South Minneapolis.

2:29 p.m.: The Cup Foods grocery store was where Floyd was pinned to the ground by Chauvin. That's where a big batch of protesters gathered.

A 21-year old Black woman led the cries and pleads for help.

鈥淵ou all don鈥檛 understand. I鈥檓 only 21. But it鈥檚 hard to see my people die every single day. I came out here to fight for our rights. I鈥檓 tired of seeing black people get killed. My father is incarcerated for stupid garbage. And these guys can鈥檛 even get incarcerated at all. I鈥檓 tired of it. I鈥檓 sorry to the kids for cussing but I鈥檓 really just tired of it. I鈥檓 done.鈥�

3:22 p.m.: A walk down Lake Street was like taking a step into a war-ravaged country. The vibrant restaurant was merely reduced to a pile of rubble with a charred wall surrounding it.

鈥淭his is what rage looks like,鈥� an onlooker said.

A group of construction workers were in the process of putting up plywood in case there were any more riots on Saturday night.

鈥淚f we get a stiff breeze, that wall is going to fall over,鈥� the lead contractor said.

Near the base of the structure, a sign read, 鈥淒anger, building will fall.鈥�

There wasn鈥檛 one window that was spotless. Each of them was either totally destroyed or had a gaping hole in it.

4:30 p.m.: But in the middle of the wreckage, there was a beacon of light. The people were rebuilding their city.

Dozens of people were spraying cleaner to try and clean the graffiti off the brick walls. They were scrubbing and scrubbing. Some of them didn鈥檛 succeed. There was still a faint, 鈥淜ill cops鈥� that one could easily read.

Hundreds of bags of goop and garbage were being scooped up. The rubble and the shards that had been moved into the street were cleared out and stacked in a monster pile on the street.

Children were handing out free burritos. A husband and wife from Minneapolis had boxes of water and snacks like Clif Bars and trail mix that they鈥檇 give out for free to anyone and everyone.

While division continued to spread throughout the world, Minnesotans of every color came together to rebuild the Twin Cities.

1/2: A business is completely shattered in the area of the Minneapolis protests. (Isaac Trotter/itrotter@postbulletin.com)

2/2: Residents work to clean graffiti of the sides of Lake Street businesses. (Isaac Trotter/itrotter@postbulletin.com)

1/2: A business is completely shattered in the area of the Minneapolis protests. (Isaac Trotter/itrotter@postbulletin.com)

2/2: Residents work to clean graffiti of the sides of Lake Street businesses. (Isaac Trotter/itrotter@postbulletin.com)