Yet another black civilian has been killed by the hands of police, just miles down the road from the nationwide news brought upon by George Floyd’s murder. Twenty-year-old Daunte Wright was a doting father who was stopped by police for a traffic violation on Sunday, April 11. As told by his mother, Katie Wright, her son called her around 2 p.m. to explain that he had been stopped for hanging air fresheners on his rearview mirror, as this is illegal in Minnesota. When the law enforcement officers instructed him to get out of his car, he obliged. Shortly after, the officers tried to take Wright into custody for an outstanding warrant over minor misdemeanor charges. This is when Daunte tried to get back into his car and was fatally shot by 26 year veteran officer Kim Potter who supposedly mistook her gun for a taser. Since this fateful incident, the Minneapolis community has not rested. Nights of protest and violence have ensued since the tragedy as the entire surrounding community grapples with both the trial of Derek Chauvin and another senseless death. 

 On Tuesday, April 13, both the officer who shot Wright and the Brooklyn Center Police Department chief announced their resignations. After being taken into custody and later posting bail, former officer Kim Potter was charged with second degree manslaughter. This charge is a good initial step in the right direction, says Daunte’s family. They have also said that, unfortunately, there will never be justice for their family. Daunte’s nearly two-year old son will now grow up without a father, and his family will never see his smile again. 

  The streets of Minneapolis have now been packed for several nights straight, with protestors gathering to fight against the system that unfairly targets black communities. As tensions were high the first three nights of protests, there were violent encounters between activists and law enforcement officials. Officers even fired rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds, a tactic used all throughout the summer in Black Lives Matter protests. Additionally, it was reported that 20 businesses were broken into in the midst of the Minneapolis protests. A curfew was enacted by the city’s mayor for the sake of keeping the community safe. All that Wright’s family asks for now is that his story be shared and that justice be fought for.