Police Reform Proponent Horrified After Protesters Wouldn't Let Cops Through After Her Nephew Was Shot
The George Floyd memorial and surrounding areas in Minneapolis have reportedly become sites of extreme tension as the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin begins. While violence has broken out, police have been barred from even entering the area.
In a video posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday, Brian Entin of News Nation Now interviewed a protester named Kim Griffin, whose nephew was shot and killed near the memorial last weekend.
She said police were not even allowed to enter the square as her nephew lay bleeding.
Warning: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers will find offensive.
The George Floyd memorial is an “autonomous zone” with several blocks controlled by activists. Police don’t even go in. We tried to respectfully get video-but left after two people confronted us near the barricades.
Later learned many protestors don’t even feel comfortable there. pic.twitter.com/5w32fxQ0hR— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) March 10, 2021
“Police were not allowed to get into that area,” she said. “He was carried outside the zone of George Floyd square.”
When Entin questioned who had the authority to bar the police from the area, Griffin said that “it was made clear law enforcement was not welcome to penetrate that zone,” which she called “an atrocity.”
“His life was taken,” she said. “Who knows whether or not he would have survived had things been different?”
Griffin supports police reform, but she is in strong disagreement with the actions being taken around George Floyd square, Entin reported.
Earlier in the video, the militant atmosphere around the memorial was on clear display. As Entin tried to report on the situation, he was approached by two individuals on the other side of a barricade.
“We know what you are, you need to get in your car and go,” one of them said.
Entin tried to explain that he was simply a reporter staying on the outside of the barricade, but that did not appease the protestors.
“I don’t give a f*** who you are,” the protestor responded. “You’ve been called out for who you are, you need to get in your car and drive.”
Activists from the left have been guarding the “autonomous zone” that spans multiple blocks in Minneapolis. They are trying to effectively hold the area hostage in an attempt to push their left-wing ideals.
“[T]he activists who serve as unofficial leaders and organizers of the area have issued 24 demands before they’ll step aside, even calling for a recall of the county prosecutor,” News Nation Now reported.
Nearby residents said that they have heard repeated gunshots from their homes. Andrea Jenkins, a City Council member who represents part of the neighborhood, said the situation is unacceptable.
“The neighbors deserve to have a level of comfort that does not include gunshots every night, and muggings and carjackings, and all the violent crimes we have been witnessing in this community,” she said.
Of all the un-American responses to George Floyd’s death that we have witnessed, this might just top the list.
The idea of a militant group taking over a public square, refusing police entry and threatening anyone who tries to enter even as violent crime takes place is something many never thought we would see in America.
But thanks to liberal activists both in the streets and in decision-making bodies, that’s where we are.
When cities like Minneapolis cut police funding and discourage officers from doing their jobs, it has consequences. Those consequences are beginning right now, and they could become even worse.
In addition, the protestors are hurting the very people they are trying to protect. They claim they want to end the mistreatment of African-Americans, yet they promote situations in which black men are shot and unable to receive medical care.
Imez Wright, the nephew of Kim Griffin, was shot and killed on these protestors’ watch. Where is their outrage over his death?
To make matters worse, city leaders are trying to cover for their own mistakes by downplaying the severity of the situation around the memorial.
“Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo last month disputed frequent characterizations of the square as an ‘autonomous zone’ but cited those perceptions as a major reason it must be reopened,” News Nation Now reported.
The problem is not that people perceive there to be skyrocketing levels of violent crime in Minneapolis. It is that incredibly unintelligent policies have, in fact, led to a mini war zone in the city.
The network reported that there were 19 total shootings in the blocks surrounding George Floyd square in 2020, 14 of which came between May 1 and Aug. 31. In 2019, the same area experienced just three shootings all year.
This is the result of defunding the police. Mayors lose control of their cities, and the very people the activists claim to protect are shot and even killed.
In the coming months, support for a strong police force in America will continue to be more important than ever.
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