‘We’re hurting, we’re hurting’— grief and outrage converge in Minneapolis

George Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests. The pain has tapped into long-simmering divisions that have plagued his hometown.

By Nina Strochlic
photographs by David Guttenfelder
Published 2 Jun 2020, 15:28 BST
Graffiti expressing support for protesters marks the side of the 3rd Precinct building as it burns ...

Graffiti expressing support for protesters marks the side of the 3rd Precinct building as it burns in the early hours of Friday morning.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder

As vehicles were overturned, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas, and a police precinct erupted in flames on Thursday night in Minneapolis, photographer David Guttenfelder heard someone shouting: “We’re hurting. We’re hurting.”

Those words seemed to bore through the chaos.

Protests in the city had been raging since Tuesday night, a day after an African American man named George Floyd died as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The protestors—across race, age, and socioeconomic status— gathered outside the precinct where the four officers who arrested Floyd had worked before they were fired for their roles in his death. Some were peaceful. Some were not. They were angry, sad, and most of all, hurting.

Family and friends of George Floyd grieve on the spot where the 46-year-old father was killed in police custody.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic

“There’s not one protestor, not one attitude—it’s all driven by grief,” Guttenfelder says. “Grief over this man, but also grief of a lifetime of this pain.”

Throughout the weekend, demonstrators from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Oakland, California, flooded the streets to protest systemic racism and police brutality. The anger on the streets in Minneapolis, Guttenfelder says, taps into deeply rooted divisions in the city. “This is by no means the first—very similar—episode of police brutality toward people of colour,” he says. But these protests are now reaching historic proportions. The state’s governor has fully activated the Minnesota National Guard, although he declined the U.S. Army’s offer to send military police.

The street where George Floyd died is painted in chalk and covered with makeshift memorials. The site has become a place of somber, peaceful reflection, says Guttenfelder.

Guttenfelder had been photographing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Midwest for National Geographic when protests broke out in Minneapolis, where he lives. On Thursday, he drove home. He added a gas mask to his N-95 mask. After 20 years as a conflict photographer working around the world, Guttenfelder is now covering protests that are inching closer to his house.

On Friday, Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was shown kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was taken into custody and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He could face up to 20 years in prison. (Related: For black motorists in America, there's a never-ending fear of being stopped.)

Protesters stand on the 3rd Police Precinct after it was set on fire during Thursday's demonstrations. Four officers from the precinct were fired in connection with Floyd's death.

Datelle Straub lifts his diploma as police approach protestors. He and his friends Avery Lewis, and Titan Harness-Reed are part of the Patrick Henry High class of 2020.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder

A man carries an injured friend who was hit by police rubber bullets during protests in Minneapolis.

That day, crowds gathered at the 5th Precinct, and what began as a peaceful protest became fiery as a Wells Fargo branch, post office, and nearby restaurant were set alight. Businesses posted signs on their doors asking protestors not to burn them and warning that people live above. Around 200 businesses in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area have been damaged in the protests so far.

“The protests have spread widely day by day,” Guttenfelder says. “The area that looks like a charred warzone is increasingly becoming a huge swath of the city.”

On Friday, a Minneapolis police officer dispersed people after tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at protesters.

Protesters ransack a department store during ongoing demonstrations. Around 200 businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul have reported property damage in the wake of the protests.

Demonstrators set fire to the 3rd Precinct, cars in the street, and nearby buildings on Thursday night. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the crowd.

After 20 years of covering foreign conflicts, photographer David Guttenfelder watched his adopted city descend into chaos. "The area that looks like a charred warzone is increasingly becoming a huge swath of the city," he says.

Over the weekend, the class of 2020 turned out to protest. On Saturday, Datelle Straub, Avery Lewis, and Titan Harness-Reed arrived wearing their crimson graduation caps and gowns from Patrick Henry High School. “Because of COVID we couldn’t walk the stage, so we decided to put our robes on to show that there is black excellence in our community. And we walked the streets as our stage and protested,” Straub says. When police approached, he lifted his diploma. The officers, he says, aimed their guns at the small group, and red target dots danced on their robes. “It’s just frustrating that they are OK with killing the future.”

A protester is given first aid in a department store parking lot after being struck near the eye with a rubber bullet fired by police during demonstrations.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic

A mural of Floyd looks upon the flowers and candles left by mourning Minnesotans.

A protester bikes past a building set ablaze during ongoing demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.

What will come of this anger and frustration? During his two months on the road covering coronavirus, Guttenfelder spotted a T-shirt that said: “Nothing will go back to normal if we’re lucky.” He hopes the same realisation will come from George Floyd’s death.

“Everyone was grieving in their own ways when they saw the video,” he says. “And everyone is grieving for what’s happening to our city. I believe that’s bringing people together. But I’m sure there are many for whom this highlights the differences they already felt.”

David Guttenfelder is an award-winning photojournalist focusing on global geopolitics and conservation who is currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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