The scent of vehicle air fresheners and the sound of fence-rattling filled the air Thursday as about 1,000 people gathered outside the Brooklyn Center police headquarters for a fifth night of protest.
Early on, the demonstration was noisy but peaceful, but tensions ramped up after about 8:15 p.m., when Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliot tweeted that a curfew had been declared for the city from 10 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday.
The declaration came as a surprise on a night when the only other metro-area curfew announced previously was for in Champlin. That's where former police officer Kimberly Potter, charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, lives with her family.
The crowd responded negatively to the curfew announcement, denouncing it in a profanity-laced chant. Some rattled the chain-link fences around the police headquarters, prompting a warning from law enforcement to "Get off the fence!" Operation Safety Net, a state law enforcement coalition, tweeted that protesters were trying to break down the fence, which in some areas was double-strength, and throwing water bottles, rocks and cans over the fence.
At least a dozen rifle-bearing National Guard members watched the protest from the station's roof, with others walking the ground inside the fences.
As of 9:15 p.m., officers had fired no tear gas or marking paint.
Through the night, many protesters hung vehicle air fresheners on the fence, a reference to Wright's mother's statement that her son had one dangling from his car's rearview mirror when he was stopped, and the scene permeated the protest area.
Among them was Patience Morris, 18, of Brooklyn Center. "I come here every day at 6 p.m. with my sister," she said. Her sister, Diamond Sheriff, 31, also of Brooklyn Center, said their cousin Alfred Toe was killed by an off-duty police officer in Trenton, N.J., in 2016. (A prosecutor later ruled the officer's use of deadly force justified.)
Activist Toussaint Morrison said on Twitter that umbrellas were being handed out to protesters "so they don't get any rain on them." On past nights, protesters have used umbrellas to shelter themselves from tear gas or pepper spray.
Most of those gathered were peaceful. Many prayed, and others quietly held candles to honor those killed in confrontations with police. Holding a candle, 18-year-old Liyah Brown of Brooklyn Center, said she had come to the protest for the first time because "I want to be part of history."
Before dusk, the protest felt a bit like a festival as the Twin Cities Relief Initiative provided food to the crowd. The nonprofit, formed after the killing of George Floyd, has been working through the metro to provide food at gatherings and vigils, using donations from Target, Cub, Trader Joe's and community groups.
"We're out here to feed the movement, to feed the protesters to keep them fighting, because you really can't do anything if you're wondering where your next meal comes from," said initiative president Rachel Nelson. "With a full belly, it changes the whole conversation.
"If you've been fed, it turns into love, it turns into healing instead of hostility," she said. "We'll be out here on Saturday with two semis full of essentials and groceries for the entire Brooklyn Center area."
Walking in the crowd was Brooklyn Center City manager Reggie Edwards, wearing a baseball hat, a mask and a tie. "It's surreal. It's powerful," he said of the scene, adding that he's come to several of the gatherings to talk to residents and protesters.
kim.hyatt@startribune.com • 612-673-4751
greg.stanley@startribune.com • 612-673-4882
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