A caravan of cars went through Minneapolis, demanding justice for Amir Locke, a 22-year-old man who was tragically shot by Minneapolis police officers when authorities were serving a no-knock search warrant.
The Racial Justice Network and other police accountability organizations coordinated the convoy of around 50 automobiles on Sunday. Some of the caravan's members then congregated in a neighborhood near interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman's home.
Amir Locke's Death Draws Series of Protests in Minnesota
They yelled Locke's and Breonna Taylor's names, a Black woman slain by Kentucky cops during a no-knock raid in 2020. They also demanded Huffman to quit. The rally comes after a march that attracted hundreds of protesters to flock the Minneapolis streets on Saturday.
Before marching through downtown Minneapolis, the protesters gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center. When a SWAT team entered a downtown Minneapolis residence without knocking, Locke was fatally shot. An officer may be seen on bodycam footage kicking the couch where Locke's family claims he was asleep, as per Courant.
He is shown draped in a blanket, starting to stir and holding a gun shortly before a cop discharges his weapon in the footage. Andre Locke and Karen Wells, Amir Locke's parents, claim their son was "executed" after waking up from a deep sleep, reaching for a legal weapon to defend himself. After last week's Minneapolis raid that culminated in the police shooting death of Amir Locke, Minnesota legislators will soon discuss outlawing no-knock warrants in most instances.
Gov. Tim Walz of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has stated that, if a measure prohibiting the practice reaches his desk this year, he will approve of it, significantly expanding new laws enacted last year. Sen. Warren Limmer, a Maple Grove Republican who leads the Senate's judiciary and public safety committee, said that he was not inclined to support a blanket ban on no-knock warrants.
Limmer declined to elaborate on the warrant that resulted in Locke's death, but he did say that the city of Minneapolis' handling of no-knock warrant regulations warranted additional investigation. The state's Department of Human Rights and the FBI are conducting pattern and practice investigations against the city, which began following George Floyd's death in 2020, Minneapolis Star Tribune via MSN reported.
State Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, is Limmer's House colleague. Paul said on Monday that Hollins' measure will be heard by his committee as soon as next week and that the House planned to go forward with the provisions as a standalone bill.
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Minneapolis Mayor Faces Pressure Over Policies
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was grilled by city leaders on Monday about his policy regarding the police department's use of no-knock warrants, only days after a man was fatally shot during one of the raids, according to authorities.
During a Minneapolis City Council Policy & Government Oversight Committee discussion on no-knock warrant practices on Monday afternoon, Frey fielded dozens of questions and emphasized the need of respecting "the sanctity of life."
The conference was attended by an associate professor, a student from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and a firebrand civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who was one of the lawyers who represented Breonna Taylor's family. Taylor was shot and killed by police officers during a no-knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2020.
Frey's office imposed a no-knock warrant moratorium on Friday. During Monday's meeting, Frey was asked about his office's policy review and adjustments. When asked about how long he expected his office to take in evaluating the policy, he said he couldn't say now. "I don't want to hurry a policy that we need to get right," he stated, per Fox News.
