In Minneapolis, under curfew, residents organize their defense

Special Envoy to Minneapolis

Minneapolis went seamlessly from lockdown to curfew. The major riots that ravaged the city last week have ceased since the deployment of the National Guard and the establishment of a state of emergency, but the looting continues and the residents are organizing their own protection. At nightfall, the streets empty, and the roar of invisible helicopters circling in the sky adds to the dismal atmosphere.

East Franklin Avenue, which crosses the city towards the Mississippi, is just a succession of plywood panels. Fixed on the windows to protect against looters, they are not always useful. Some carry messages drawn in paint to the address of the vandals: “Please don’t burn, people live nearby.” Either indicate in full that the owner is black or belongs to an ethnic minority, or summarize it with the acronym POC: person of colour.