As Minneapolis Target Turned to Scene from Mad Max, 'Armed Rednecks' Kept the Peace at Nearby Store
As chaos raged in Minneapolis, a group of “armed rednecks” flexing their Second Amendment rights at a small business appear to have been effective in discouraging any potential looters.
Other shops in the area weren’t so fortunate and quickly fell to the mob.
Two of the armed men told reporter Max Nesterak of the Minnesota Reformer how they ended up in front of a small tobacco store, helping to defend it from violent looters Wednesday night.
The two men claimed they stood with those protesting the death of George Floyd, a suspect who died after an encounter with the Minneapolis Police Department, but would not abide the looting.
“It’s about d— time that some heavily armed rednecks stood with fellow citizens,” one of the men said.
The duo explained how they heard looters were descending on a local tobacco store and showed up to help the shop’s besieged owners.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.
These guys say they support the protests but not the looting. Showed up to help this tobacco store owner stop people from breaking in pic.twitter.com/x2FMQiQwVK
— Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) May 28, 2020
Although the store suffered some broken windows (damage done before the armed men appeared), it missed the full outrage of the crowd.
Businesses without armed citizens standing guard weren’t so lucky and soon fell prey to the mob’s greed and violence.
A local Target turned into a scene from Mad Max as looters rampaged through the smoke-filled store, making their escape with electronics and other consumer goods.
Meanwhile, Target still being looted. It’s been over 3 hours. Many are wearing masks. pic.twitter.com/LZ4dAGHgMT
— Max Nesterak (@maxnesterak) May 28, 2020
Violence erupted in Minneapolis and other American cities after news of Floyd’s death, and a video taken shortly before, went viral.
Although many Americans seem to be banding together over the alleged police brutality, others have taken advantage of the racial tensions to push their own agendas.
Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California dumped fuel on the fire by attacking white officers seen in the video, claiming at least one of them “enjoyed” the alleged assault against Floyd.
While the officers in the Floyd case have yet to appear in a court of law, mounting evidence seems to indicate that some of the police present during his encounter acted inappropriately.
With riots threatening to stretch into the weekend, it’s unclear if more armed citizens will show up to hold the line against violent protesters.
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