Minneapolis braced for unrest ahead of trial over George Floyd’s killing

Officers guard the courthouse where the trial begins on Monday

Credit: AFP

Minneapolis has been fortified with concrete barricades and thousands of troops as the city braces for the start of the trial of a former police officer charged in the death of George Floyd on Monday.

Footage of Derek Chauvin, a white officer, pinning Mr Floyd, an unarmed black man, to the ground as he gasped for breath rocked the city last year and led to a wave of violent protests in Minneapolis and dozens of other US cities.  

The video was watched by millions around the world and led to a national reckoning on systemic racism and police brutality in the US. Mr Chauvin, 44, was fired and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.

Ahead of what is expected to be one America’s most closely watched trials, local officials have launched a massive security operation to try to avoid a repeat of the looting and destruction witnessed last summer.

Barbed wire, chain-link fencing and several rings of concrete barriers have been erected around the Hennepin County courthouse where jury selection in Mr Chauvin’s trial begins on Monday.

Derek Chauvin is accused of killing George Floyd

Credit: AFP

Around 2,000 National Guard troops and 1,100 police officers have been deployed on the streets while businesses and government buildings have been boarded up.

A coalition of 17 activist groups plan to stage a large peaceful protest throughout the trial, but some community leaders fear the heavy police presence in the city will further inflame tensions between demonstrators and law enforcement.

Some activists have accused the authorities of turning the city centre into a police state that infringes on their right to assemble.

Amid the febrile atmosphere, a plan to pay "social media influencers" to post city-approved information online during the trial has been scrapped.

Swathes of Minneapolis were damaged during last year's unrest

Credit: AFP

Local officials had planned to pay six influencers $2,000 each as part of an effort to reach "communities that do not typically follow mainstream news sources" and combat disinformation.

But the proposal triggered a backlash, with some arguing it reflected a "lack of trust".

"The key word here is ‘city-approved’. What do you think the message is going to be? It’s going to be pro-city, it’s going to be anti-protest," activist Toussaint Morrison told CBS.

The city has since apologised and confirmed the plan would be cancelled.

Security is beefed up ahead of Derek Chauvin's trial 

Credit: Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters

Opening arguments in Mr Chauvin’s trial are expected to begin at the end of the month and the trial is expected to last for four to six weeks.

Minneapolis’ mayor, Jacob Frey, said more than 3,000 law enforcement officers from across Minnesota and the state’s National Guard soldiers will be on standby when the case goes to the jury, expected in late April or early May.

Three other fired officers involved in Mr Floyd’s arrest are due to go on trial in August.