Seventh night of protests begins at Brooklyn Center police HQ
Multiple groups, each with its own focus, gathered outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department headquarters Saturday for a seventh night of protests.
A 11 p.m. curfew is in place for the city, which has been shaken by last Sunday's police killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright and the large nightly protests since. On Friday night, law enforcement moved in quickly to disperse an increasingly volatile crowd, making several arrests. They and many protesters expressed hope that Saturday night would end more peacefully, as did Thursday's action did when protesters left on their own and law enforcement held off on any dispersal tactics.
Once again Saturday night, a crowd gathered in front of the double fencing that surrounds the police station. Pinned to it, in white letters, were the words "Stop State Terror."
Logan O'Connor, 6, stood on a concrete barrier with a bullhorn shouting, "Say his name!"
"Daunte Wright!" the crowd shouted back.
Logan's father, Obediah O'Connor, has brought him to join in protests on several evenings. They live near George Floyd Square in south Minneapolis, and he said he wants his son to learn how to support other people, particularly people of color.
"He's got to know how to stand up for people," Obediah said. He added that they wouldn't stay late into the evening, when tensions sometimes build and things starting get thrown at police.
"What I can do is teach my son " he said. Pointing to Logan and two other children, O'Connor said, "This is the change."
Across the street from the station, one group barbecued while another offered "safety kits" featuring water, sports drinks and snacks.
Another group of several dozen people, most from the nearby Kenyan Community Seventh-day Adventist Church, marched down the street singing. They paused outside the station.
Pastor Ezra Kenyanya took a microphone and prayed for peace in the city and for Wright's family. "This incident will not divide us," he said, adding that in God's eyes, all people are equal, Black or white.
The past week has been difficult for the church, which is close to the police department. On some nights, members got stuck inside the church after curfew was called.
Still, when he prayed, Kenyanya tried to strike a balance, calling for peace for Wright's family, for the city and for police.
"Striking that [balance] is hard," he said. "But it needs to be done."
As he prayed, Kenyanya acknowledged the deep pain that followed Wright's death and reminded people that he believes God is just. He said he also tried to project a message of love and mercy.
"It takes the right mind to fight for human rights," he said.
As the protesters prayed, law enforcement or National Guard members parked trucks between the police department and the fences.
liz.navratil@startribune.com • 612-673-4994
ryan.faircloth@startribune.com • 612-673-4234
