Despite victories, like the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, members of the city's Black community say their fight for racial justice is far from over.
Created with Sketch.
Shops and office blocks were boarded up. The mayors of Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul had requested assistance from the National Guard, which sent 3,000 troops. Everyone was prepared for a riot.
On the intersection of Chicago Avenue and 38th Street, where George Floyd was killed 330 days earlier, people huddled around mobile phones to watch the television news to see the verdict announced in this historic case.
The dozens who had gathered became hundreds, and whispers became chants - but expectations remained low. There’s a familiar ending to cases like this.
Journalists talk of fury and rage when describing protests and vigils by anti-racist movements like this one, but the profound feeling here was of helplessness - the sense that Black people seeking justice in a case against an American police force are simply chasing a mirage.