Story at a glance
- Major U.S. cities are heightening security ahead of a possible verdict this week in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd.
- Minneapolis public schools will shift to remote learning beginning Wednesday.
- Crews in downtown Minneapolis set up razor wire barriers ahead of jury deliberations.
Major U.S. cities are heightening security ahead of a possible verdict this week in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd.
The verdict is expected to come amid protests only miles away in Brooklyn Center, Minn., where protests have roiled the city after a police officer shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott renewed the city’s 11 p.m. curfew prior to expected protests Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, turmoil persists in the wake of the release of police body camera footage showing the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo.
“Simply put, we failed Adam. And we cannot afford to fail one more young person in our city,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in response to the police footage.
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Minneapolis leaders have taken preemptive security measures ahead of anticipated unrest, including a transition to online learning for students and beefed up security downtown.
Minneapolis Public Schools will shift to remote learning beginning Wednesday, CNN reported. Superintendent Ed Graff said in a letter posted to the district’s website that events either before or after schools will also be canceled, but added appropriate conversations regarding the turmoil and racial strife will be allowed topics of discussion.
“The racism and violence that has been highlighted in these tragic incidents may be widely discussed among some students in our schools,” Graff said.
“As appropriate and as they are comfortable, teachers will give students the opportunity to process their feelings, how this feels to them personally and how they are impacted by having the eyes of the world on Minneapolis,” Graff added.
Crews in downtown Minneapolis set up razor wire barriers ahead of jury deliberations, CNN reported. Further, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has previously said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be ready to respond to unrest. The Hennepin County government building has been surrounded with fencing and barricades since jury selection began, the outlet added.
Law enforcement officials across the country are stepping up their efforts to protect their communities should disruption ensue.
Los Angeles Police Capt. Stacy Spell told CNN his department is preparing for protests and employing community outreach and encouraging them to speak out peacefully.
“We are also strongly encouraging that if those people who want to express themselves see something, that they say something,” Spell said. “We don’t want small groups of individuals with malicious intent to hijack what would otherwise be a peaceful demonstration.”
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told a local outlet Wednesday that protests have never really stopped since Floyd’s death, CNN reported. But he urged peaceful protests from all activists who might attend a demonstration.
“We’re just asking anyone that, that may come out to voice their, you know, concerns over this trial to let’s just work together, do it peacefully, no property damage and we’ll get all through it together,” Shea said.
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