Target closes select Minneapolis stores amid protests

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
May 31, 2020

Target has temporarily shut down over 30 stores in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota area amidst ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd. 

On Thursday, the company released a statement detailing the closings. 

"We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing our community," the company said.

"At this time, we have made the decision to close a number of our stores until further notice. Our focus will remain on our team members’ safety and helping our community heal." 

The list of indefinitely closed stores includes locations in Apple Valley, Bloomington, Maple Grove, Minneapolis Uptown, North St. Paul, St. Cloud, St. Louis Park, Stillwater and Woodbury, among others. 

Protests in the Minneapolis area, which have sometimes turned violent and destructive as police clash with protestors, have persisted for days after Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in Minneapolis police custody. 

Floyd was arrested on May 25 in response to an alleged forgery in progress. 

In videos of the arrest widely circulated on social media, Floyd is shown handcuffed and laying in the street while ex-police officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes.

During this time, Floyd repeatedly tells the officer that he can't breathe, until becoming unresponsive. Floyd, still unresponsive, was later taken away by an ambulance and pronounced dead at Hennepin Healthcare. 

Four officers involved with the arrest, including Chauvin, have been fired, and Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter.