By Naasir Qaz
An event that was initially meant to be a protest ended up being a celebration. After over a thousand people responded to a Facebook event to protest the city’s plan to create a new Third precinct, a mere two blocks away from the former.
As the Minnesota cool set in on the crowd, we heard as speakers addressed a wide range of concerns involving the city government and their response to the summer’s uprising. While the event was organized to protest any attempt from the city council to establish a new precinct, we heard updates about George Floyd Square, the Wall of Forgotten Natives, and community oversight of the police.
One speaker who delivered a passionate and commanding speech about G.F.S. was former teacher Marsha Howard. After discussing the community security’s response to the recent vandalization of George Floyd’s mural, she noted that none of the security teams felt the need to place their knee on the young man's neck. She left the crowd with a new chant “no justice, no street” alluding to the ongoing standoff between city officials and the local organizers who have been running the intersection for the past 3 months.
The next step is the Minneapolis City Council’s meeting this Friday to find the next potential suitor for the Third Precinct.