MONTHS FROM NOW TO SEE AS
PEOPLE REALLY ARRESTED BEHIND
ALL OF THIS HORRENDOUS DAMAGE.
YOU'RE STILL THERE AT BOBBY
AND STEVE'S?
YES.
AND YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME THE
LAST OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE
BEEN ARRESTED ARE NOW AWAITING
THE TRANSPORTATION AND I CAN
TELL YOU I'M NOT MAKING LIGHT
OF THE SITUATION OR THIS WEEK
AT ALL.
BUT IT HAS BEEN ONE INCREDIBLE
STUDY OF SOCIOLOGY AND
PSYCHOLOGY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR.
ESPECIALLY THE WAY THAT IT
ENDED HERE TONIGHT.
A PEACEFUL PROTEST AND
EVENTUALLY THEY CLOSE IN.
THERE IS TEARGAS AND EVERYTHING
ELSE.
THEY ARREST PEOPLE AND HOW MANY
HOURS AGO WAS THAT?
THREE HOURS AGO?
AS THEY STOOD IN LINE WITH
HANDCUFFS ON, THEY BEGAN IN A
STRANGE WAY TO BOND WITH EACH
OTHER AND EVEN WITH THE
ARRESTING OFFICERS.
THERE IS CONVERSATIONS AND
PICTURES BEING TAKEN.
THE MOST INCREDIBLE PIECE OF
HUMANITY IN A STRANGE WAY THAT
I'VE SEEN HERE, I THINK WE HAVE
SOME VIDEO AS THEY STAND IN
LINE.
THEY'VE GOTTEN SO FAR PAST THE
PASSION AND THE INTENSITY OF
THE EVENTS TODAY THAT THEY ARE
NOW TALKING PRAGMATICALLY ABOUT
WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO AND
WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN.
AS THE OFFICERS ARE ENGAGING
THEM IN CONVERSATION.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO SEE AND IN
A STRANGE WAY WAS QUITE
UPLIFTING.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK AND ASK
A FEW THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED IF IT WAS ALL WORTH IT
AND WHAT THEIR TAKE WAS ON THIS
DAY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY WAS IT
WORTH IT?
ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE A MESSAGE TO SEND.
WE ARE OUT HERE AND PEACEFUL.
WE ARE DIFFERENT FROM WHOEVER
IS WRITING.
WEIRD DIFFERENT FROM THOSE
BREAKING DOWN IN THE BUILDINGS.
WE ARE OUT HERE AND WANT TO
CONVEY A MESSAGE THAT WE ARE
ALL THE SAME.
THEY ARE THEM AND WE ARE US.
TO THE POINT WHERE YOU SAID
THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE
ARRESTED?
I DIDN'T ACCEPT THE FACT
THAT THERE SHOULD BE ARRESTS.
I JUST KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT WE HAVE TO DO.
AND IF ANYONE WE WERE OUT
PROTESTING ON THE FREEWAY.
BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE.
TO THE PEOPLE SAYING THAT WE
CAN'T PROTEST ON THE FREEWAY OR
WE HAVE TO GO ON THE SIDEWALK
WE DON'T HAVE SIDEWALKS IN THE
CITY LIMITS FOR TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS.
WE WANT TO GET ATTENTION.
THAT'S HOW IT IS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY DO YOU
FEEL THE MESSAGE WAS PUT OUT
THERE THE RIGHT WAY?
ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH WHAT YOU
HAVE ACCOMPLISHED?
I AM SATISFIED.
I AM SATISFIED THAT WE ARE NOT
GOING TO BE BEATEN.
NOT BY ANY OFFICERS OR LAW
ENFORCEMENT OR OUR FRIENDS IN
THE STATE PATROL.
I HAVE TO ASK ONE QUESTION,
AS THIS THING HAS EVOLVED,
YOU'VE ALL BEEN HERE FOR A LONG
TIME NOW.
AND I AM SEEING MORE SMILES AND
LAUGHTER THAT I THINK I'VE EVER
SEEN IN PEOPLE.
THERE'S ALMOST A BOND THAT HAS
BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH ARRESTING
OFFICERS AND THOSE WHO HAVE
BEEN ARRESTED.
AT THE END OF THE DAY WE ARE
HUMAN.
THEIR FAMILY FRIENDS AND NOW WE
WANT TO GO HOME TO THE PEOPLE
THAT WE LOVE.
I MEAN WE ARE HUMAN.
WE ARE CITIZENS FIRST AT THE
END OF THE DAY.
YOU MIGHT BE WEARING A UNIFORM
I'M NOT BUT WE CAN CONNECT ANY
TYPE IN ANY WAY.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?
I'VE LEARNED THAT EVERY
PERSON DESERVES THE LOVE OF
OTHER PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHAT I'VE REALLY
LEARNED.
AND IT HAS REALLY OPENED MY
EYES.
I'VE NO HATE TOWARD THESE
POLICE OFFICERS.
I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO COME
TOGETHER AND TREAT EACH OTHER
EQUALLY.
DO YOU REGRET BEING ARRESTED?
I DO NOT.
PROBABLY WILL.
BUT RIGHT NOW?
NO.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GET
SHOWN A MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR?
I THINK OUR MESSAGE WAS
CLEAR AT FIRST AND ENDED UP
BEING CLOUDED.
BUT AT THE END OUR MESSAGE IS
STILL THE SAME.
BLACK LIVES YOU MATTER.
THEY GO.
AND IT WAS STRANGE AND SURREAL
THIS WEEKEND.
FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE SEEN
TODAY WE ARE NOW SEEING THE
ENDING OF IT.
BUT I WANTED TO BRING SOME OF
THAT TO YOU.
BOTH THOSE PEOPLE FROM
MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST
MINNEAPOLIS BECAUSE THE
PERSPECTIVE OF THE PROTESTERS
HERE WHEN YOU ONLY SEE THEM AND
DON'T HEAR FROM THEM IS
SOMETIMES MISCONSTRUED OR
CONFIGURED.
TO ADD TO THAT, I'VE WATCHED
FOR THREE STRAIGHT DAYS ON THE
FRONT LINES AS THESE LAW
ENFORCEMENT GROUPS IN BOTH THE
COUNTY SHERIFF AND THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE STATE
PATROL HAVE GATHERED.
THEY HAVE BEEN SO CLINICAL AND
SO PRECISE IN WHAT THEIR
MISSION WAS AND HOW THEY CONTROL
AND CONTAIN THESE CROWDS.
IT HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF
ASTONISHING.
SEEING THE DISCIPLINE THAT THEY
USE TO GET PEOPLE IN ORDER
WITHOUT ALTERCATIONS AND
WITHOUT FANFARE.
WITHOUT MANIFESTING INTO
SOMETHING MUCH WORSE THAN WE
THOUGHT IT COULD GO IN THAT
DIRECTION.
THEY HAVE A GAME PLAN AND ARE
WELL ORCHESTRATED.
IT WAS JUST OUTSTANDING.
ONE FINAL NOTE, IN TALKING TO
THEM, HOW IS THIS SITUATED?
THEY SAID THEY PUT US INTO
DIFFERENT GROUPS AND IN ESSENCE
YOU'RE PLAYING WITH THE SAME
TEAM.
THEY STAY IN THE SAME PLACES
AND ARE ON CALL.
SO WHEN WE NEED TO REACT REAR
WITH THE SAME GROUP AND WE KNOW
EXACTLY WHERE IT IS THAT WE ARE
GOING.
THEY'RE ALL WORRYING ABOUT THE
MISSION THIS WEEK AND THEY HAVE
BEEN RIGHT ON POINT THE LAST
THREE NIGHTS SINCE THE PRECINCT
BURNED.
THEY'VE BEEN RIGHT ON POINT
THROUGHOUT.
AND NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACULOUS
IN THEIR DISCIPLINE.
BEING ABLE TO QUELL WHAT COULD
BE A DIFFICULT AND TENSE
SITUATION.
IT'S VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT THEY
HAVE THESE BAD APPLES OR EGGS
AS MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD SAY
THAT WENT IN AND SET FIRES AND
DID ALL OF THIS HERE.
BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO LIKE YOU SAY IT'S
VERY UPLIFTING TO SEE THEM.
THEY ARE PEACEFUL AND THEY HAVE
A MESSAGE.
THEY'RE GOING ALONG WITH IT.
DID YOU SEE HIM SMILING?
THEY'VE BEEN TALKING FOR QUITE
A WHILE.
THEY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION
AROUND A FEAR INSTEAD OF
HANDCUFFS.
IT IS SO HUMAN.
AND AS THEY STOOD TOGETHER, LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND YOU
CAN SEE OVER HERE EVERYONE HAS
HAD A LONG DAY.
AND THIS IS THE WAY IT FEELS IN
THE LONG DAY.
AS THE STATE PATROL HERE THEY
SIT DOWN WITH A BOTTLE WATER
AND AS SOON AS I'M SURE THE
VANS ARE FULL THEY WILL RETURN
TO THEIR QUARTERS.
THEY ARE STILL ON A HIGH ALERT
THROUGHOUT BUT AS I OBSERVED
ONCE AGAIN THE ARRESTING
OFFICERS AND THE PEOPLE THEY
ARRESTED WERE VISITING AND
HAVING ARTICULATE AND
THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATIONS.
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
RECOGNIZING THAT THIS
PERSPECTIVE IS THE POINT AND
LISTENING TO IT, IT WAS A BACK-
AND-FORTH.
THEY THOUGHT THERE WAS
SOMETHING HERE.
THERE MAY BE A LONG WAY FROM
THERE OR WHEREVER IT IS THAT
THEY WANT TO ACCOMPLISH BUT WE
ARE CERTAINLY NOT THAT MUCH
DIFFERENT FROM THE PEOPLE IN
THE UNIFORM OR THE PEOPLE IN
HANDCUFFS SMILING AT EACH OTHER
IN BRACING IN MEANINGFUL
CONVERSATION.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT
TO US.
BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL NEEDED
TO SEE THIS.