Amidst Derek Chauvin Trial, Another Black Man Dies in Police Shooting

Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating a police shooting Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn Center, just north of Minneapolis. According to his mother, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was pulled over for hanging an air freshener from the rearview mirror of his car. Moments later, he was lying dead in the street.

“All he did was have air fresheners in the car, and they told him to get out of the car. He got out of the car and his girlfriend said they shot him. He got back in the car and drove away and the car crashed,” said his mother through tears. “And now he’s dead on the ground since 1:47pm - no one will tell us anything.”

A crowd gathered at the scene. Many of them came straight from a protest at St. Paul Police’s Western District, where they were marking what would have been Justin Teigen’s 36th birthday. Teigen died at the age of 24 in 2009. His body was found in a recycling bin hours after fleeing an encounter with police.

Meanwhile, at George Floyd Square, three new full-sized billboards created by local artists have been put on display.

Seitu Jones says his piece stands as a reminder of what this work means for the community.

“With all the work that we’ve done and with this work here, it still is all about rethinking public safety. I mean that’s really why we’re here,” said Jones.

In the billboard, Floyd’s face floats against a blue background of words including “revolution,” “reform,” and “repair.” The billboard project is funded by the Northeast Sculpture and Gallery Factory. It is part of a community effort to share and preserve art made to memorialize Floyd’s death.

Samantha HoangLong reporting for the Racial Reckoning Projet