As thousands of National Guard soldiers pour into Minneapolis due to protests over the death of George Floyd taking a dangerous turn, some residents are defending their own neighborhoods from any potential trouble.
One group of residents in a neighborhood near where some of the violent riots took place said Saturday night they were afraid someone might threaten them or their neighbors and police might be unable to respond.
"We are just trying to protect the residential areas here," one of the residents, Tanya, told FOX9. "This is our neighborhood. This is all we have and we can't have it burned down or torn apart by people who aren't from here."
The group of neighbors was gathered, some armed with bats, as authorities began to enforce an 8 p.m. curfew on Saturday that was in place for the first time.
The state poured thousands more National Guard soldiers into a response that came after repeated days of arson, property damage and looting on the city’s south side.
Residents in a Minneapolis neighborhood said they are defending their own streets over fears that police won't respond to any potential looters. (FOX9)
Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington says law enforcement tried to move quickly to break up groups of protesters who ignored the curfew.
But residents feared that enhanced enforcement would drive those looking to start trouble right into their neighborhoods.
"They're pushing everybody down here and we're just trying to protect our house," one resident told FOX9. "It's sad on both parts, police part, and African-American part. It's sad on both parts, but we're just trying to protect our home."
Residents in a Minneapolis neighborhood said they are defending their own streets over fears that police won't respond to any potential looters. (FOX9)
Residents said they believed that no one would come if an emergency developed. Tanya told the FOX station the group hasn't seen many issues. Instead, they've seen a lot of people trying to get out of the city.
"There's no one else to protect us, so we have to do it ourselves," she told FOX9. "[Police] can't go everywhere, they can't be everywhere."
Another group was also found by the same FOX9 news crew nearby, which was ready to protect and defend a store in Minneapolis armed with guns. That group expressed similar concerns about the threat presented by looters.
City and state leaders urged people to stay home and stay inside while soldiers and police work to secure the city.
Officials in Minnesota said Sunday that a more aggressive approach helped prevent another night of dangerous and damaging violence in Minneapolis from protests.
Gov. Tim Walz called restoring order the first step toward addressing the systemic problems that contributed to the death of Floyd, who died after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes.
Walz said the curfew will remain in place for at least one more day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
