Smaller crowd, peaceful protest on 7th night in Brooklyn Center
No arrests were made as protesters peacefully stood together outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department for a 7th consecutive night after 20-year-old Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a cop.
Minnesota Operation Safety Net, the multi-agency enforcement group designated with protecting life and property in wake of George Floyd's death and the ongoing Derek Chauvin trial, did not issue a dispersal order, nor did its officers engage with protesters.
A crowd of approximately 25 people began gathering outside the police station around 5 p.m. Saturday, growing to more than 300 demonstrators at its largest. Operation Safety Net said fewer than 150 people remained just minutes before the city's 11 p.m. curfew.
"We thank those of you have have left ahead of the curfew and wish you a pleasant evening," Operation Safety Net tweeted.
Even after curfew expired, law enforcement did not force remaining protesters out of the area.
According to reports, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) and Rev. Jesse Jackson stopped at the protest. The Star Tribune reports that Waters called for murder charges against Kim Potter, the officer who fatally shot Wright. Potter has been charged with second-degree manslaughter.
Jackson is expected to return to the protest site with Wright's family on Sunday afternoon, the Star Tribune says.
Previous nights of protest turned unruly when some demonstrators shook the fence guarding the police station, while others threw bricks, rocks, cans and other hard items at police, who responded with more aggressive dispersal actions including the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other less lethal ammunitions.
