Daunte Wright protests

This article is about events in Brooklyn Center and the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. For events elsewhere, see List of Daunte Wright protests.

Daunte Wright protests
Part of 2020–2023 Minneapolis–Saint Paul racial unrest
Protest outside the Brooklyn Center police headquarters, April 15, 2021
Date
  • Initial unrest:
    April 11–20, 2021 (9 days)
  • Subsequent events:
    April 21 – December 23, 2021 (8 months and 2 days)
  • Sentencing unrest:
    February 18, 2022
Location
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, United States
Caused byKilling of Daunte Wright
Goals
MethodsProtests, demonstrations, civil disobedience, civil resistance, looting, riots, arson, protest art
Resulted inPotter convicted of first-degree manslaughter on December 23, 2021
Aftermath
Arrested301+[11][12][13]in April 2021
1[14] in December 2021
Damage208 properties affected, including 4 set on fire[15][16][17][18][19]
Charged3[20][21][14]

Protests and civil disorder occurred in reaction to the killing of Daunte Wright on April 11, 2021. Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by police officer Kimberly Potter during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, United States.[22][23][24] Protests that first began in Brooklyn Center spread to other locations in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and then to other cities in the United States.[25] Several nights of civil disorder in Brooklyn Center and adjacent cities resulted in sporadic looting and damage to a few hundred properties,[26] including four businesses that were set on fire.[15][27]

Wright's death came during a prolonged period of unrest in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area over police brutality and racial injustice, notably due to the murder of George Floyd and the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who murdered Floyd.[25] Protesters demanded justice for Wright's death and made several demands of public officials, including a more severe murder charge for Potter, an independent investigation of the shooting, and enactment of police reform measures.[26]

In mid April 2021, many local protests were held outside the Brooklyn Center police station on Humboldt Avenue. Law enforcement established a heavily fortified barrier area and periodically clashed with demonstrators over several days.[28][29] Demonstrators made several attempts to overrun the security barrier established around the police station during a few nights of tense protests.[30][31][32] Law enforcement fired tear gas and less-lethal munitions into the crowds.[33] Protesters later demanded that criminal charges be dropped against demonstrators over Wright's death, and that law enforcement discontinue aggressive crowd control methods.[34][35] In three separate incidents, law enforcement and Minnesota National Guard troops had gunshots fired at them during civil disorder in the week after Wright's death.[36][37][38]

Protests resumed in late 2021 during Potter's criminal trial with most demonstrations concentrated in downtown Minneapolis near a court building.[39] A jury convicted Potter of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter charges on December 23, 2021.[40] Protests were held as a reaction to Potter's prison sentence, which was for two years rather than the seven years requested by the state,[41] and a few instances of looting took place in Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis.[41][42]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Hyatt-414 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Klecker-418 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  4. ^ Puglisi, Dave (April 18, 2021). "New Haven rally calls to end police violence and defund Yale Police Department". WTIC-TV. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Protest in Northampton following the death of Daunte Wright". WWLP. April 17, 2021. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Alrazzaq, Mona (April 19, 2021). "Daunte Wright vigil held to honor victims of police brutality". The Daily Illini. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Long, Waverly; Sakai, Emily; Spoto, Maia (April 19, 2021). "EFBL and NUCNC honor Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright in march for police abolition". The Daily Northwestern. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Sahouri, Andrea May (April 17, 2021). "Hundreds march in Des Moines to 'Back the Black,' protest deaths at hands of police, present list of demands". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Larsen, Kate (April 17, 2021). "Hundreds march through streets of Oakland calling for justice after recent police killings". KABC-TV. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Erblat, Austen; Bryan, Susannah (April 18, 2021). "South Florida joins nationwide protests over police killing of Daunte Wright". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
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  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CCXMedia-426 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference KSTP-415 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference Turtinen-422 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gottfried-425 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Crowd protests after police near Minneapolis shoot Black motorist". NBC News. April 12, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  23. ^ ABC News. "Man shot, killed during Minnesota traffic stop sparks unrest". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  24. ^ Walsh, Paul; Sawyer, Liz (April 12, 2021). "Officer who fatally shot man in Brooklyn Center is identified as 26-year veteran". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Sullivan, Becky (April 13, 2021). "Protests Grow In Minnesota And Around U.S. Over Death of Daunte Wright". NPR. npr.org. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Dakss, Brian; Sundby, Alex; Freiman, Jordan (April 13, 2021). "Second night of unrest after fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright outside Minneapolis". CBS News. cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference CCXMedia-419 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Keith, Theo (April 16, 2021). "Walz: Tear gas in Brooklyn Center meant to avoid another police station burning". FOX-9. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference Craig-418 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference Du-MST-2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference Keith-416 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference KARE-420 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  36. ^ Cite error: The named reference KARE-411 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  38. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nelson-419 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ a b Duxter, Adam (February 18, 2022). "'A Slap In The Face': Activists, Angered Over Potter Sentence, Demonstrate At Judge's Home". WCCO-TV. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).