Protests To Continue This Week After Amir Locke Killing By MPD

MINNEAPOLIS, MN —Protests continued Sunday evening in Minneapolis over the killing of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man fatally shot Wednesday by Minneapolis police officers who were serving a no-knock warrant at a downtown apartment.

According to the Star Tribune, a caravan of about 50 vehicles met at the Target store at 2500 E. Lake St. before some made their way to the Cedar-Isles-Dean home believed to be that of interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman. There, the protesters chanted the names of Locke and Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by police during a no-knock warrant in Kentucky in 2020.

The protests came on the heels of Saturday's gathering of hundreds at the Hennepin County Government Center for a march. According to CBS Minnesota, many protesters called for immediate changes in city leadership, including the removal of Mayor Jacob Frey and Huffman.

The protests appear set to continue this week. A news conference is scheduled for Monday afternoon at Minneapolis City Hall, where a coalition of Black women and mothers will demand swift action from Frey in holding Minneapolis police officers accountable for "the senseless murder of Amir Locke."

"The brutal and unnecessary police killing of 22-year-old Amir Locke is every Black mother's worst nightmare," said Titilayo Bediako, founder of We Win Institute.

"Our sons are not safe when Minneapolis Police officers have the power to be judge, jury and executioner," Bediako continued. "Minneapolis police showed zero regard for the value of Amir's life when they chose to gun him down within two seconds of waking him up on the morning of February 2nd after entering the residence on a no-knock warrant. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,"

Meanwhile, the MN Teen Activists group is calling for a statewide walkout of students from class Tuesday afternoon. The group also is organizing a Tuesday afternoon rally at St. Paul Central High School, followed by a march to the Minnesota governor's residence.

"Our message is PROTECT YOUNG BLACK LIVES‼️" MN Teen Activists said on Twitter.

Sunday's protest caravan was organized by several police accountability groups, including Communities United Against Police Brutality and the Racial Justice Network.

The Racial Justice Network in a Friday release demanded "swift justice" for Locke, whom they said "never had a chance to survive" when police burst into the apartment in the 1100 block of Marquette Avenue South.

The city identified the officer who shot Locke as Mark Hanneman. The Star Tribune reported that the warrant was being executed on behalf of the St. Paul police homicide investigations team and that Locke was not the target of the warrant.

The bodycam footage released by the city of Minneapolis on Thursday night shows an officer using a key to quietly unlock the door to the apartment. Once inside, several officers began shouting "search warrant" and "police search warrant."

After an officer kicks the couch that Locke is on, Locke begins moving under a blanket, handling a handgun. An officer quickly shoots and kills him.

According to Locke's family, he had a permit to carry a gun, which he felt he needed for protection from robberies while working for DoorDash. Locke doesn't have a criminal history in Minnesota, NPR reported.

"Amir was sleeping on a couch and Mark Hanneman shot him within nine seconds of entering the apartment," Racial Justice Network said in a statement on Friday. "(Hanneman) fired his weapon within two seconds of ordering Amir to, 'Get on the ground!' Amir never had a chance to survive the events on Wednesday morning. We can only imagine the fear he must have felt during his last few moments."

Racial Justice Network also labeled the Minneapolis Police Department's actions after the incident as a "diabolical coverup of Amir's murder." They said the department "falsely labeled (Locke) as a suspect" and suggested he was "armed, violent and dangerous."

Among its demands, the Racial Justice Network called for Frey to immediately terminate Hanneman, for Gov. Tim Walz to appoint a special prosecutor to charge Hanneman with murder and for Frey to end the use of no-knock warrants.

On Friday, Frey did impose a moratorium on both the request and execution of no-knock warrants in the city.

"No matter what information comes to light, it won't change the fact that Amir Locke's life was cut short," Frey said, according to WCCO. "To ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted, I'm issuing a moratorium on both the request and execution of such warrants in Minneapolis."

The Minneapolis City Council has announced there will be a discussion on no-knock warrants Monday afternoon.

City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who chairs the Policy and Government Oversight Committee, has invited nationally recognized experts to present research pertaining to police procedures and no-knock warrants. The event is scheduled for 1:30 p.m..

The focus of the committee presentation, according to a release from the city of Minneapolis, will be to "gain insight on current policies and next steps to guarantee the effectiveness of the policies."

The discussion will be led by Rachel Moran, associate professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law; University of St. Thomas law student Sarah Murtada; and civil rights attorneys Ben Crump, Jeff Storms and Antonio Romanucci.

City council members said they have extended an invitation to Frey.

The discussion will be broadcast on City Council TV and City's YouTube channel.