A Tense, Determined Night in Minneapolis After Protest Shooting

A Black Lives Matter protester on the evening of November 24, via Flickr user Fibonacci Blue

One night after five Black Lives Matter activists were shot at a Minneapolis protest, demonstrators returned to the street Tuesday evening, determined to show a united front against the white supremacists who allegedly carried out the shooting.

“We ain't scared,” Minneapolis NAACP President Nekima Levy-Pounds told a crowd of several hundred that had gathered for a concert Tuesday night. “We can't back down. We ain't turning around, but we're here fighting for justice.”

Minneapolis protesters have been congregating outside the city’s Fourth Precinct since November 15, when police shot and killed a 24-year-old black man named Jamar Clark. Police say Clark had been involved in a domestic violence incident, though the man reportedly was unarmed when he was killed. Some witnesses and activists say Clark was already handcuffed and lying on the ground when he was shot by police.

Amidst the grief and violence, however, last night’s Minneapolis protests were punctuated by spirited singing and dancing, as footage tweeted out by the Star Tribune shows. “Love for the self, love for the family and love for the community,” one protester told the Minneapolis paper, “that’s what it’s about.”

Minneapolis protests, November 24, via Flickr user Fibonacci Blue

Protester Korey Dean told The New York Times that he saw a lot more diverse faces Tuesday night, and guessed that the shooting of activists had further united the community. “When people come together for a common cause—race, creed, economic background—none of that matters,” he said.

The AP caught up with Wesley Martin, one of the five protesters who had been shot during Monday night’s violence. Martin, who was shot in the leg and treated at the hospital, returned to the site of the protests with the help of a cane.

“Bullets aren't going to stop me from supporting what I want to do anyway,” Martin said.