Protesters in Duluth demand arrest of Minneapolis officers after death of George Floyd

More than 100 people gathered at the corner of 21st Avenue East and London Road on Wednesday afternoon to demand justice for George Floyd, the man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against his neck despite Floyd's repeated requests for the officer to stop.

Holding signs and chanting "I can't breathe", "Black Lives Matter" and "No justice, no peace, prosecute the police," the protesters joined calls for the arrest of the now-fired Minneapolis police officers — Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng — who were there when Floyd died.

Protester Kylen Grand of Duluth said she thinks there's a double standard when it comes to prosecuting police officers. If the officer was a civilian he would have already been punished, she said.

"I really hope that this will help people make a movement to put the police officer in jail and be convicted of what he did to this man," Grand said.

Drivers passing by offered almost constant support to the protesters, honking and offering a thumbs-up.

That was uplifting to Grace Kirk of Duluth, who was there with her best friend and younger sister, and said she was there "using my anger and sadness for a good cause."

"I knew the overwhelming amount of people would be supportive of it and so this just solidifies it for me," Kirk said. "In my own experience as a black woman, I'm not alone in that. I have allies and obviously you can see that."

With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, almost every protester wore a mask. Organizers brought extra masks to donate to anyone that didn't have one and urged attendees to space out along the four corners of the intersection.

About an hour and a half in, protesters moved into the middle of the intersection and blocked traffic.

Several motorists laid on their horns and forced their way through the crowd as protesters punched the sides of the vehicles, including a semi truck. A man drove a station wagon through the crowd as a woman laid on the hood and windshield until the driver stopped a half-block later. A side window of the vehicle was also shattered as it passed through the crowd.

The Duluth Police Department then began rerouting traffic away from the 21st Avenue East and London Road intersection by blocking the I-35 exit ramp and turning cars around that were headed down London Road.

Protesters then marched west on London Road for about seven blocks to the Rose Garden, when organizers urged everyone to turn around. All the while, police stayed about a 1/2 block ahead of protesters to block traffic.

Sgt. Joe Miketin of the Duluth Police Department said he would rather block traffic to make sure protesters stayed safe on the roadway than trying to move them off the road.

"Your reaction to crimes have to match the crime, so if someone is blocking the roadway, to me that's a fairly low-level crime. Is it inconvenient for other people? Yeah it is. Is it a serious crime? It's really not a serious crime to block the road so I'm not going to get in a physical confrontation with somebody until they move," Miketin said.

After protesters moved up the hill to 21st Avenue East and Jefferson Street, they surrounded Miketin, several other officers and their squad cars.

Brayleigh Keliin of Duluth held a sign with the names of dozens of black men killed by police and urged the Duluth officers to read the names. She said she feared her son, who is biracial, could be a victim of police brutality one day.

Patrol Sgt. Tony Radloff read the names aloud to the crowd. Afterward, he told the News Tribune he understood the protesters' anger and wanted to listen to their concerns.

"I think just being real and being human to anyone builds trust and relationships," Radloff said. "It takes time. It's not given or handed out, you have to earn it."

"It's all about building trust and showing people that you're human and that you care and that any life that's lost is a horrible thing," Miketin said.

No citations or arrests were made during the protest, according to Ingrid Hornibrook, spokesperson for the Duluth Police Department.

One of the protesters, Jacques Jackson of Cloquet, said it felt "great" leaving the protest after those conversations with police. For Jackson, who is black, it's not something he could see happening in his hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"To see that the police department was doing a great job at being able to deescalate the situation and be able to talk calmly" while answering questions and complying with citizens, Jackson said. "That's an amazing thing."