Uprisings Are Driving a Surge in Mutual Aid in Minneapolis and Beyond

[marmar]

Uprisings Are Driving a Surge in Mutual Aid in Minneapolis and Beyond

BY
Mike Ludwig, Truthout
PUBLISHED
June 4, 2020


Mutual aid is flourishing in south Minneapolis, where the police killing of an unarmed Black man and a revolt against state violence has left a community hungry for connection and racial justice. The alleged murder of George Floyd and the ensuing powerful uprisings have made the need to forge material support networks among neighbors all the more apparent, say activists – and they are up to the challenge.

A hotel along the Lake Street corridor that saw clashes and fires after four police officers arrested and killed Floyd is now occupied by houseless residents and activists who converted the building into a shelter for those displaced by conflict between protesters and the police. From the vigil set up to honor Floyd at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue to the parking lot of the Target store that was famously looted about two miles way, neighbors and volunteers gather on a daily basis to distribute food and household supplies from pop-up free shops while many stores remain closed.

Neighbors are also coming together to build strategies for keeping each other safe without the police, according to interviews with residents and local activists.

The alleged murder of Floyd by a white police officer while three others stood and watched — and the fiery rebellion that followed – could have torn this community apart. For days, neighborhoods south of downtown were featured on the national news as police attacked protesters and buildings were set ablaze. The uprising spread to dozens of cities across the country, where police repression of protests has further demonstrated the anti-Blackness and oppressive nature of U.S. policing. ............(more)

https://truthout.org/articles/uprisings-are-driving-a-surge-in-mutual-aid-in-minneapolis-and-beyond/

[Igel]

1. Hotel link

https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/06/02/minneapolis-residents-commandeered-a-hotel-for-homeless/