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Good morning everyone. Some updates on the scene in Minneapolis & St. Paul right now.
Yesterday, there was a large assembly on the capitol (st Paul). It dispersed immediately at curfew.
7 of us stayed behind.
Four of us on a med team, and three other protesters.
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Yesterday, there was a large assembly on the capitol (st Paul). It dispersed immediately at curfew.
7 of us stayed behind.
Four of us on a med team, and three other protesters.
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I wore the red cross patches they shot at me for last night. Another man - a licensed first responder and EMT, who all y& #39;all (including you, @GovTimWalz) have been calling heroes for days - stood there in his scrubs.
Another protester was in a wheelchair. 7 of us.
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Another protester was in a wheelchair. 7 of us.
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Eventually, I and another girl walked up directly to the tanks. We knelt down in front of the tanks. We talked to the national guard.
I asked them why they joined. I asked them if they were from this neighborhood or from Minneapolis.
They all said no.
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I asked them why they joined. I asked them if they were from this neighborhood or from Minneapolis.
They all said no.
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The others joined us. Every one of us, including the protester who needed the wheelchair, knelt on the hard concrete.
I asked them to remember when they experienced tear gas during basic training. I asked them if they had ever been tear gassed in their neighborhood.
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I asked them to remember when they experienced tear gas during basic training. I asked them if they had ever been tear gassed in their neighborhood.
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I asked them if they had ever sprayed tear gas into a crowd. They shook their heads no.
I told them that someday they& #39;re going to get orders to do that. I asked them to think before they did. I asked them to remember that we are civilians.
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I told them that someday they& #39;re going to get orders to do that. I asked them to think before they did. I asked them to remember that we are civilians.
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Once superiors realized the soldiers were engaging with us and talking to us and answering our questions, they started switching out the guards in front of us every five minutes.
So we asked more of them. We asked if there were tanks in front of their houses tonight.
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So we asked more of them. We asked if there were tanks in front of their houses tonight.
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I told them what it was like to have your eyes streaming as you& #39;re trying to treat a child who has been tear gassed. I told them how rubber bullets felt
I asked if they had ever been deployed or in combat zones. I asked them if their homes had ever looked like one.
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I asked if they had ever been deployed or in combat zones. I asked them if their homes had ever looked like one.
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At 9 pm, we heard flash bombs go off a few blocks over. The others in the med team and I talked and decided to leave the tanks and go see if we could help any folks who might need med over there.
And then they arrested us.
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And then they arrested us.
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As we knelt in front of tanks. In scrubs, with med bags.
About 30 cops in riot gear surrounded us. 30. For 7 of us on our knees.
One - whose name I unfortunately did not get - pulled out his stick and walked between us, smacking it against his hand. Just in case we forgot.
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About 30 cops in riot gear surrounded us. 30. For 7 of us on our knees.
One - whose name I unfortunately did not get - pulled out his stick and walked between us, smacking it against his hand. Just in case we forgot.
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And this is the part I need you all to listen to.
They let 6 of us stand after they& #39;d cuffed us.
They kept the woman of color on her knees. THEY KEPT HER ON HER KNEES.
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They let 6 of us stand after they& #39;d cuffed us.
They kept the woman of color on her knees. THEY KEPT HER ON HER KNEES.
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