When George Floyd was killed I was too sick to go out and photograph the protests and uprising. As I got better I endeavored to photograph the aftermath. So I have done that. All of these photos are from south Minneapolis where most of the events happened. Most were taken on Lake Street or within a few blocks of it. To those who don't know the city, Lake Street is the main east/west commercial corridor through south Minneapolis. Different parts of it were the center of the action on different days. The 3rd Precinct was directly on the street and the 5th is a block away. There was damage to about a four mile stretch of the street although most of it is still intact. This thread is shorter than my typical photothreads because honestly it became depressing taking photos of rubble in neighborhoods where I've spent much of my life. Rest assured there is more than what I have shown here.
I think it is important to note that most of the damage was not done by BLM or people who lived in these neighborhoods. While there were a lot of different participants in the destruction with a lot of different motivations, it appears that most of it was done by small groups of highly organized white people who were trying to start as many fires as possible. Who these people were and what their motivations were isn't really known right now, maybe it was anarchists, maybe it was Boogaloo Boys, maybe it was people who wanted the police to be busy so they could commit other crimes, maybe a combination of all of that. While this all was going on it also looks like somebody systematically looted all the pharmacies in the city, and some of the fires are related to that.
My post office:
South Minneapolis isn't all destruction:
George Floyd Square:
Some photos I took before the uprising but never posted:
-- “We heal each other with kindness, gentleness and respect.” -- Richard Wagamese
-- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” -- Dr. Seuss
Minneapolis has now joined the very rare group of US cities that have suffered epic, historic rioting. These pics capture some of the aftermath.
The art and the pre-riot photos show why Minneapolis is going to be good in the long run. It's still a beloved community, and that's a ton of renovations and new construction for a city of its size. Quality seems better than average.
What on earth is that Midtown building? Apartments? Offices? I'm in love with it
It was originally built to be a Sears catalogue showroom store and also their main warehouse and shipment hub for the northern plains and northwestern US. It was shut down in the early '90s and sat empty for a decade an a half. Now it is apartments, condos, offices and the home to Midtown Global Market which is an indoor public food/restaurant market with lots of little stalls. It has the worst DMV in the city. Other than that it is a cool place. The Midtown sign on top of the building used to say Sears in the same font. The business node next to it, which is the intersection of Lake and Chicago was one of the hardest hit stretches of Lake St and is almost completely destroyed. Hopefully it will be rebuilt.