In addition to fearing ICE, protestors must now, once again, fear the local police. Peaceful protestors on a residential street in St. Paul, Minnesota, gathered just before Thanksgiving to rally against an ICE raid. While they stood just outside the site of the federal raid, police took unnecessarily aggressive action.
As the video posted in the Minnesota Reddit forum shows, people begin running from the line. As a cloud of tear gas envelops the protestors, all you can hear is shouting and coughing, with many saying, “I’m not leaving.” St. Paul police unloaded multiple cans of mace on the crowd, which was following all the legal guidelines of a peaceful protest. The unhinged actions of local PD are now leaving viewers — and Minnesota locals — reeling.
One Reddit user referenced George Floyd, who was tragically killed in police custody in 2020. “Wow. All the goodwill achieved after George Floyd is gone in 2 months,” they said, referencing the countless efforts of peaceful protestors following his death. Another viewer commented on the senselessness of the act, saying, “Maxing someone mere centimeters away is wild. Didn’t look like they were threatened; they are so trigger-happy.”
Some showed support for the protestors, encouraging them to bring leaf blowers. At past protests, these helped blow tear gas and other potent smoke away from the rally line. Another Reddit user shared concerns about kids in the crowd, saying, “I would love to take my daughter to a protest, as I remember my mom taking me to Occupy Wall Street stuff as a kid. The fact that it’s unsafe to bring a child in our current climate upsets me deeply. It doesn’t matter how you protest, the feds will mace you!”
As the video went on, more people ran from the protest, some violently coughing due to the mace. Rather than protestors creating an unsafe environment, local police continue creating residential warzones.
