Minneapolis again finds itself in the crossfire of deadly policing when 22-year-old Amir Locke was shot dead in an apartment on February 2 by Officer Mark Hanneman in the early morning.
“Why couldn’t my son bury me?” said Andre Locke following the death of his son.
Last Sunday saw thousands of demonstrators throughout Minneapolis protest for reform in the wake of Locke’s death. Some demonstrators are demanding Officer Hanneman be fired and criminally charged, Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman be fired, and Mayor Jacob Frey resign.
“Say his name!” protesters shouted, spanning more than one city block as they marched to the police station in the First Precinct.
Some carried signs that said, “Justice for Amir Locke and All Stolen Lives” and “Stop the War on Black America!”
No-knock warrants allow the police to enter property without first announcing their presence and are primarily used when there is concern that evidence will be destroyed or officers will be put in danger.
In response, the Minneapolis City Council’s Policy and Government Oversight Committee will now discuss no-knock policies for the city. The discussion will have input from a University of St. Thomas law student and civil rights attorneys, Ben Crump, Jeff Storm, and Antonio Romanucci.
Ben Crump’s law firm is representing the Locke family in the case.”
Locke was not named as a suspect in the warrant, according to authorities, nor was he a resident of the apartment, according to Jeff Storms, a lawyer representing Mr. Locke’s family. Storms said Mr. Locke was staying there with a cousin.
Huffman made unverified claims the SWAT team announced themselves before entering, which the bodycam video did not show.
Standing in solidarity were more than 1,000 protestors in downtown Minneapolis demanding justice for Amir Locke, demonstrating outside of what is thought to be the house of Huffman. The demonstrators gave speeches via megaphone and chanted.
Another claim not in the body cam evidence was Huffman’s that Locke was pointing his gun toward an officer.
Mayor Jacob Frey is also under intense backlash as he said he would ban the use of no-knock warrants in his re-election campaign.
Over the weekend, Mayor Frey’s campaign was altered. The campaign promise, “banning the use of no-knock warrants in Minneapolis,” which was previously highlighted on the campaign website, was removed.
Mayor Frey announced on Friday a moratorium on no-knock warrants in the city.
During the moratorium, the city will work with DeRay Mckesson, a racial justice activist, and Dr. Pete Kraska, a criminal justice expert at Eastern Kentucky University, to review and suggest revisions to the department’s policy.
On Saturday, many of the attendees said they have demonstrated for Black Lives Matter since the murder of George Floyd in the same city.
Speaking at the protest, Andre Locke, Mr. Locke’s father called for peace as he mourned his son.
“He was responsible. He didn’t deserve to have his life taken from him the way that it was,” Locke’s father said. “Why couldn’t my son bury me?”
