'This Is A Test For Minnesota': Protesters Outside Governor's Mansion Call For Justice In Derek Chauvin Trial
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Families who have experienced police violence called for justice Saturday outside Gov. Tim Walz's home in St. Paul.
With jury selection in the Derek Chauvin trial starting Monday, community leaders are keeping the pressure on for change.
Accountability. Justice. Transparency.
The protesters Saturday feel there hasn't been enough of any of it since George Floyd's death.
Not enough progress, they say.
"We just want a fair shot. We want a fair shot without having our hands tied behind our backs, a boot on our neck or a gun to our children's head or our own head," Jonathan McClellan of the Minnesota Justice Coalition said. "That's all we want."
Some of the demonstrators had a message, too, for people who dismiss their concerns of systemic racism.
"You have to have compassion," activist Brandyn Tulloch said. "You have to feel what these people are feeling and if you can't, don't call yourself a good person. You need to realize that people are hurting, people have a right to feel the way that they feel."
For Tulloch, that right also goes for reacting to a verdict in the Chauvin trial.
One of the speakers said "it won't be business as usual" if there's an acquittal.
"I am anxious about the trial. the families and the state and the country and the world needs to see that justice can be done. This is a test for Minnesota," McClellan said.
Another speaker advocated for laws to hold police accountable, such as ending qualified immunity.
"The eyes of the world are going to be on Minnesota with this upcoming trial, but our eyes cannot leave the Legislature. Our eyes cannot leave the Capitol," Minneapolis NAACP President Angela Rose Myers said.
The plan for these protesters is to be in the streets of downtown Minneapolis during the trial.
"If you believe you are good then stand up for the life and the safety of people of color in this country," CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said.
WCCO reached out to Walz for comment on today's protest. He has not responded.
