AND HEATHER BROWN.
NOW, WE ARE TALKING.
IT IS 9:34 WE ARE CONTINUING
TO FOLLOW BREAKING NEWS IN
MINNEAPOLIS RIGHT HERE ON
MIDMORNING.
I AM HEATHER BROWN.
I AM JASON DERUSHA.
LET'S GET YOU CAUGHT UP ON A
BUSY MORNING IN MINNEAPOLIS.
IS WAS THE SCENE EARLIER THIS
MORNING ON EAST LAKE STREET AND
27th AVENUE IN SOUTH
MINNEAPOLIS.
IS BUILDING THEM ON FIRE.
PART OF THE CORNER BUILDING
THERE THAT HOUSES A NUMBER OF
RESTAURANTS AND SMALL
BUSINESSES.
THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM
MNDOT'S TRAFFIC CAMERAS, YOU
CAN SEE JUST HOW BIG THE FIRE
WAS, REALLY LIT UP THE MORNING
SKY.
AND THEN RIGHT AROUND 6:00
AM , YOU CAN SEE THIS FIRE
HERE, IT IS THE MAX IT
PAWNSHOP ON CEDAR AVENUE.
THIS VIDEO COMES INTO US FROM
CITIZEN AVENUE, THAT ENTRANCE
OF THE BUILDING, THE TOP OF THE
BUILDING, ENGULFED IN FLAMES.
JUST TAKE A LOOK AT JUST HOW
MUCH SMOKE HAS BILLOWED OUT OF
THERE, AND CAUGHT ON OUR
TRAFFIC CAMERAS THERE FOR MILES
AND MILES AWAY.
BACK NEAR LAKE STREET THIS
MORNING, THE NATIONAL GUARD AND
MINNESOTA STATE PATROL DID FORM
A BARRIER.
THEY WERE ORDERING PEOPLE TO
STAY AWAY FROM THAT AREA.
THE NATIONAL GUARD DID LEAVE
RIGHT AROUND 7:00 THIS MORNING,
THE STATE PATROL STAYED BEHIND.
WE BRING YOU THE NEWS OF THE
FIRES AND THE DAMAGE AND THE
UNREST, WE REMIND YOU THAT ALL
OF THIS FOLLOWS THE DEATH OF
GEORGE FLOYD ON MONDAY.
MINNEAPOLIS THIRD PRECINCT HAS
BEEN SORT OF THE EPICENTER OF
ALL OF THIS.
IT IS WHERE THE OFFICERS
INVOLVED IN FLOYD'S DEATH ARE
BELIEVED TO HAVE WORKED, AND
THAT JUST WENT UP IN FLAMES
OVERNIGHT.
THE CITY, MAKING A DECISION TO
ABANDON THE PRECINCT, RATHER
THAN PROTECT IT.
THEY STOOD AND EVACUATED AS
THAT BUILDING WAS TAKEN OVER,
SET ON FIRE, IT BURNED FOR
HOURS.
CHRISTIANE CORDERO HAS BEEN
COVERING ALL SORTS OF FIRES IN
THE AREA, NEAR THAT PRECINCT.
CHRISTIANE, YOU ARE IN A
SHOPPING CENTER JUST ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF 55 THIS MORNING.
Reporter: YEAH, WE ARE.
THE HIGH LAKE SHOPPING CENTER.
THIS HAS SEVEN MILE FASHION.
IT HAS A HOME CHOICE FURNITURE
STORE, DOLLAR GENERAL, AND WE
HAVE SEEN THESE FIREFIGHTERS
OUT HERE FOR THE PAST HOUR
TRYING TO PUT IT OUT AS IT
BURNED ALL NIGHT LONG.
I WAS TALKING TO SOME PEOPLE
WHO LIVE IN THIS AREA AND THEY
SAID IT IS UNBELIEVABLE,
REALLY.
ON SO MANY LEVELS, I THINK THAT
IS KIND OF HOW WE ARE ALL
FEELING RIGHT NOW.
BUT JUST THE FACT THAT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAN BE
BURNING FOR SO LONG, AND NOW IT
IS REALLY JUST THE FIREFIGHTERS
JOBS TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T
SPREAD ANY FURTHER, ANY OF
THOSE HOTSPOTS ARE KIND OF
CONTAINED TO WHERE THEY ARE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE FIRES
THEMSELVES HAVE BEEN, I GUESS,
MAY BE THE BIG STANDOUT THING
THAT WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON
THIS MORNING.
THEN YOU ALSO HAVE ALL THE
VANDALISM ON TOP OF IT.
SO WE ARE RIGHT HERE AND YOU
CAN SEE THE SMASHED WINDOWS,
THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF
GRAFFITI.
THIS IS MAYBE THE FIRST TIME
THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN THE WALLS
OF GRAFFITI JUST LACED WITH
PROFANITY.
SO WE CAN SHOW YOU MOST OF IT.
DON'T PAN TOO FAR TO THE LEFT
THERE, MARK.
WE ARE TRYING TO WRAP OUR HEADS
AROUND EXACTLY WHAT SO MANY
PEOPLE HAD TO WAKE UP TO THIS
MORNING.
SO MANY OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESS
OWNERS WHO JUST WERE ALREADY
MAY BE STRUGGLING, PRESUMABLY
STRUGGLING, ALL OF THEM.
OR IF THEY WEREN'T, IT'S BECAUSE
THEY ARE ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES.
NOW THESE GROCERY STORES, WHO
ARE PROVIDING FOOD AND
PROVIDING NECESSITIES DURING
THIS PANDEMIC ARE OUT OF
BUSINESS.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN LOOTED,
JASON.
SO IT'S REALLY TOUGH OVERALL OF
COURSE.
AT THIS POINT, WE ARE JUST
PAYING ATTENTION TO MINNEAPOLIS
FIRE AS IT WORKS TO PUT THIS
OUT.
YEAH, DOZENS AND DOZENS OF
FIRES THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO
PUT OUT THIS MORNING.
OBVIOUSLY, CHRISTIANE, THERE'S
NO SENSE AS TO WHETHER THERE IS
AN ORGANIZED EFFORT BY A COUPLE
OF PEOPLE TO SET THESE FIRES,
OR IF THESE ARE ALL INDIVIDUAL.
THAT IS PART OF WHAT IS BEING
INVESTIGATED TOO.
Reporter: IT IS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING.
IT IS SUCH A DELICATE BALANCE,
TO AT THIS POINT, IT WOULD BE
ASSUMING, RIGHT?
AT SUCH A DELICATE BALANCE TO
NOT ASSUME THAT WE UNDERSTAND
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CAUSING THIS
MUCH PAIN TO THIS CITY, AND
THESE CITIES, REALLY.
BUT I HAVE SPOKEN WITH PEOPLE
FROM ALL KINDS OF BACKGROUNDS
THIS MORNING.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT MUCH.
WHETHER THEY ARE PERSONALLY
AFFECTED BY THESE KINDS OF
TRAGEDIES IN THE LIVELIHOOD
SENSE, BECAUSE THEY WORK OR
LIVE NEARBY.
AND THEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO
ARE PROTESTERS, AND HAVE BEEN
DOING THINGS SO PEACEFULLY.
AND AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY ARE
WAKING UP IN SHOCK.
AND THEY CANNOT RECOGNIZE THE
CITY THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN FOR
SO LONG.
YEAH, IT IS GOING TO TAKE