Minneapolis Target looting: It actually began with gallons of milk

Minneapolis has seen ongoing protests for over three days now. Last night things got heated, both metaphorically and literally. Reports have varied on the size of the crowds from last night, but looking at the pictures an estimate of thousands isn’t unfair – not to mention numerous other protests happening around the country.

People are mad, and rightly so. George Floyd was killed by police and there’s footage of it, but nobody has been arrested. People, understandably, fear this case will be left without justice.

Last night, on May 28th, Minneapolis protests took to the police precinct which the four officers involved in the murder worked at. Eventually, police retreated from the station, leaving in their vehicles. A fire was started in the parking lot of the abandoned precinct, which eventually spread to the police station itself.

However, the station wasn’t the only building to burn down last night. A number of other buildings were looted and / or set alight. It demonstrates the unrest people are feeling, and how high tensions are not just in Minneapolis, but around the country.

A Target store ended up in the crosshairs of Minneapolis protesters last night too, but it wasn’t a random choice. People who had been tear gassed, and people wanting to help those who had been tear gassed were going to the Target in order to buy milk.

For those who may not know, pouring milk into eyes is the go-to method for clearing eyes when being tear gassed – just like when you drink a glass of milk after eating too many spicy Cheetos, it works the same way. However, that particular Target was known for supporting the Minneapolis PD responsible for the crimes, so a small minority of people were not having it with the store. So, some were helping themselves to milk and other supplies to assist protesters, trashing the store in the process. 

Naturally, people looking to cause trouble noticed the stealing, and began to truly look the store of its more lucrative items like TVs, household appliances, and other expensive items. Others went in with baseball bats and broke whatever they could to destroy the store. The majority of those looting were not with the protests however.

The looting and the eventual fire in this Target is even more powerful when you realize Target’s headquarters are in Minnesota.

Whether you agree or not with burning down buildings as a form of protest, it’s obvious people have felt ignored for too long, and are now demanding to be heard in a way which can’t be ignored. We hope everyone in Minneapolis stays safe amidst the turmoil.