More than 100 people rallied and marched in downtown Minneapolis late Friday to call for an end to police mistreatment of people of color.
The "We Can't Sleep If We're Not Safe From Police Violence" rally, which began at 9 p.m., was sponsored by several advocacy groups, including the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Communities United Against Police Brutality and Black Lives Matter Minnesota.
Rally attendants heard from speakers outside the Hennepin County Government Center before beginning a peaceful march. Many carried Black Lives Matter banners or pictures of George Floyd.
Their chants of "Prosecute the police, no justice, no peace" and "We have nothing to lose but our chains" echoed through an otherwise quiet downtown. The protest at times had a festive air, with people sometimes dancing in the streets to a clublike beat between speeches.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been on trial in a Government Center courtroom in Floyd's May 2020 death while in police custody.
Speakers called for Chauvin's conviction, but said even if it comes, activists shouldn't get too comfortable.
"Night or day, if we can't sleep, they can't sleep," said Michelle Gross of Communities United Against Police Brutality.
Zoë Jackson covers young and new voters at the Star Tribune through the Report For America program, supported by the Minneapolis Foundation.
