DC Marches for Duante Wright begin as world awaits verdict in Chauvin/George Floyd case

POV video of Duante Wright March in DC, w analyis of police tactics 2 min 23 sec

Police in the suburbs of Minneapolis killed another young Black man on the 11th of April, Duante Wright. He was pulled over for an air freshener dangling from his car mirror, cops escalated and in the end he was shot and murdered. Fighting erupted that night in MN, and on the 12th of April marchers took to the streets in DC in solidarity.

Unlike similar marches in 2020, cops kept their distance and seemed to run from the marchers at times. Much of the night it rained, and possibly for that reason not a single bike cop was spotted. Protesters's own bicycle riders had no trouble with the rain, and it wasn't too wet for fireworks either. Barricades were sometimes set in the streets behind the march, but with cops hanging back this seemed more a precaution than an urgent tactical necessity.

At one point, marchers took over a Metro train, using it to reposition rapidly to Gallery Place and march in the direction of MPD's headquarters. The march stopped a block from there and reversed direction, possibly to avoid making police weapons stored there too convenient to use. After that incident, Metro police appeared to close the Gallery Place metro but just stood glowering, no action having been taken against the protesters.

As in many previous marches, some chants were directed at gentrifiers living in expensice condos where Black people used to live. Already some have at least talked about moving out after last Summer, which is one way to retake Chocolate City. This time another note also was sounded, and has been heard in many other places as well: if Derek Chauvin (George Floyd's murderer) walks, war will result in the streets not just in Minneapolis but nationally.