Minneapolis has a new food desert

At one point, we lived in the neighborhood where people have been protesting the death of George Floyd. The protests have spawned riots, which are still ongoing [into the early hours of May 28]. Note:  the times in the article are given in Eastern Time, while Minneapolis is on Central Time.

The area around the police precinct headquarters where businesses are now being looted and burned was where we did most of our shopping when we lived there; the Target, Autozone, and Cub Foods grocery store were very familiar sights to us.

Undoubtedly many of the protesters and rioters are coming in from other areas. Minnesota’s gradual easing out of the shutdown, with very high numbers of people currently unemployed, is probably a factor. The relations between the Minneapolis police and various subpopulations (not all of them racial minorities) have been poor for many years.

Update:  The mainstream news reports so far tend to understate the extent of the damage, but from following various Twitter links, a more complete picture can be put together.  Autozone, Wendy's, an affordable housing complex under construction, and someone's car went up in flames. A large number of smaller fires were set here and there. Windows and police cars were smashed up at the precinct headquarters. Target was practically cleaned out, and trashed throughout. Cub Foods was also trashed, but only partially cleaned out.  Graffiti everywhere. Stores and charter school spaces in the strip mall adjacent to Target were smashed and looted. Window smashing and looting extended for many blocks along Lake Street, apparently mostly to the east, but also to the west a bit. Three banks and two auto parts stores besides Autozone, two or three liquor stores, and an Aldi's were smashed and looted, plus nearly all of the small businesses in between. Basically only the businesses that were actively guarded escaped major damage, and even then not always, as apparently a pawn shop owner shot and killed a looter but ended up with the shop looted anyway. No reports of damage to the public library.

Cars were coming and going through almost all of this area the whole time, as far as I can tell, including right in front of Target, which facilitated the looting.  Police presence was concentrated around the precinct headquarters and the Autozone fire, and was only extended further a couple of times by lines of cops pushing the protesters back, such as when the police were trying to make room for the fire trucks to get in. Most protesters followed the mayor's directive to wear masks and practice social distancing.

At various times, police were firing rubber bullets and flash grenades and tear gas, which sent people into Target to get milk to pour into others' eyes. Rioters were shooting off illegal fireworks, not necessarily upwards.

Some other smashing and looting happened in other areas of Minneapolis.

Protests are starting up again today at the precinct headquarters, with smoldering ruins right across the street.

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Update (6/5/29):  Star Tribune article.